Dawn
by Dresner1817
Summary: After the events of "Dusk", Karl took Thorn's offer of becoming their roadie. Over a month has past since he joined and so far everything is going fine till they ran across a pair of old boots... Now Karl has gone insane and ran into the wilderness to a strange manor home in Louisiana. Will the Hex girls and Mystery Inc find him? Or will a figure from the past find him first?
1. Prologue: The Parish 1862

_**Hello Readers, It is good to see the view ship of Dusk is well. So far I found that writing fanfiction eases my nerves and helps me battle my smoking habit. Its been about 3 weeks since I went cold turkey and so far **_**_I'm doing fine since I started writing again. Due to the large amount of views for Dusk, I took it upon myself to write a sequel. This will be a little different from Dusk as I will be telling it for a purely Third person unlike the former. Also a Horror/Supernatural story will take the place of the drama and love of Dusk. _**

**_I promise that Dawn will be a work that will keep you reading... _**

**_The Hex girls are not my creation- My interpretation of the girls, Karl, and the story itself belongs to me. But the story of and his 13 men belong to history... _**

**_With love, Dresner _**

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The Parish 1862

It was a hot summers day in August of 1862 in the deep back woods of southern Louisiana as Confederate Lieutenant Zachary Hall of the 4th Alabama Infantry Regiment sat in a wicker chair on the balcony of Amsel Manor, cleaned the mud off of his officers jackboots. Lieutenant Hall was a youthful gentleman of the age of 30 with long brown mutton chops and a full thick head of brown hair hiding under his grey cap. Hall was a cold and imposing figure standing six foot one with a barrel chest and a deep voice that seemed to echo for miles into the depths of the swamplands that surrounded Amsel manor. Dressed in a dirt and mud doused grey uniform of a CSA officer showed his tour though the war the gripped the land. Everywhere the 4th Alabama fought, bled, and died for the glory of the south, Hall was their.

First Manassas, Gaines Mill, Second Manassas, South Mountain, Sharpsburg, and now soon to Baton Rouge Lieutenant Hall lead from the front of the company and into the frayed and the unknown. The men of the 4th Alabama were the best of the CSA and even the soldiers of the 4th Alabama knew this as did their leaders. The Alabamians placed in Major General Breckinridge's corps to counter the Union landing in the state of Louisiana. Lieutenant Hall was given command of a recon unit of thirteen men to scout out in front of the regiment to prevent an ambush from Union troops.

In their advance in the front of their regiment the men of Hall's rangers, as his men called themselves, they became lost in the disorder of swamp gas earlier that morning and found themselves lost in the depths of the marshes and swamps. It was not until they followed a cluster of deer trails leading to an untouched red clay road.

Hall found it very odd that the path was untouched and that not even the local wildlife or even nature itself has gone and crossed it. His thirteen men were a little uneasy to see no markings on the road nor a sign either, but they could not help to be thankful for finally leaving the mud and stench of the swamp. After for what had seemed to be over half of the day, the men and their commanding officer were met by a finely dressed gentleman standing in the middle of the path. The gentleman wore lavish black suit with a red tie and stove pipe hat with a red trimming. In his left hand was a black cane with an ivory handle and in the other was a sliver pocket watch.

"Good afternoon Lt. Zachary Hall! Welcome, Welcome, Welcome!" The strange man in the top hat said with glee as he shook the hand of and soon on to his soldiers who were hesitant greet the man. Looking into their eyes he saw something that was almost nonexistent in eyes of the men of the 4th Alabama... Fear.

Hall grew impatient and demand his men to greet this odd gentleman and they did so... But the looks on their faces never left his sight. The man was still smiling even at seemingly rude welcome by the soldiers of Hall's Rangers. He turned to Hall and insisted that he and his men were to take quarters in his home just down the path. Hall agreed and he and his men took down further down the red clay road for what seemed to be an eternity till the beauty of a large white victorian manor appeared from behind a collection of weeping willows.

"Welcome to Amsel Manor Gentlemen." The strange man said as the Manor came into view.

As the Day itself passed before his very eyes, Lt. Hall stood up from his wicker chair and stared into the vast unknown that surrounded the manor. He rose his hand to his ear to improve his hear and still nothing was herd... Not even the sounds of insects or birds chirping or even the rare warm breeze. All of this was unsettling, even for Hall himself but something was compelling him, no forcing him to stay in this place...

Lt. Hall stood on the balcony for the rest of the day frozen with out any recall of anything that happened that day.

"Lt. Hall sir," Sgt. Hollister call to his commanding officer as they walked onto the balcony. "We have grave news..." "Another one gone?" Lt. Hall interjected as he seemed to come back to life.

"Yes sir." A young corporal name John reported to his officer.

"Find him..." Hall ordered the men as the sun dropped behind the tree line and the light of the moon began to shine on the forsaken men of Hall's rangers...


	2. Chapter 1: Roses

_**Yes I have returned from the land of the dead, again, with more tales. Sorry if I took so long with Dawn as I went though an idea process with a friend in which we helped each other with ideas and though that I have the whole storyline for Dawn. **_

_**If you have any ideas or requests please PM me, my box is always open.**_

_**With Love ~Dresner**_

**_Disclaimer, I own nothing_**

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"Come on, Come on! We have a deadline to meet!" Karl shouted to stage crew as the last column was loaded on to the trailer of the 18 wheeler. "Perfect! Now, get the truck on the road! We will see you in the next town!" Karl barked with a smile on his face as his men finished loading and tying down the load. "Hey Karl! Bet you a case of beers we beat you to Richmond!" One of the crewmen named Jericho yelled over the sound of the diesel engines. "Ya Ya," Karl laughed. "You know how the girls roll! Always showing up casually late!" "Their Rockstars! What do you expect!?" Jericho said with laugh as he opened the door to the black kenworth truck and drove off to the next gig with two other trucks behind him loaded with speakers, amps, pyrotechnics, and other bits and pieces of gear for any concert the Hex girls would need.

Though out his life, Karl always had the feeling that someone was watching over him. That someone was giving him yet another, unearned, in his view, chance to begin again. Some where in his mind he felt as if life is just one episode after another, where when life seems to be turning for the better and fine. Then it all seems to burn to ashes at the single swipe of a pen...

Just like his former home in Alabama, all it took was a signature and a crooked smile and he found himself on the road once again. The Lockhart's exploited a loophole in the contract and now the park, the bar, and everything was gone. All of it with the simple stroke of a letter... His New york family was spilt just like his real family and now they were scattered across the states like dust in the wind.

'Why?' He would say to himself. 'Why must everything fall apart? Am I one of those folks who has to search the world like a wander to find happiness?' This battle, This struggle that dominated his thinking seemed to be endless. That he would never find a home to hang his hat on permanently. But fait had another plan for him...

When the men of Destorido came with their crews in the wee hours of the day, they evicted everyone and towed away their trailers till their was nothing but a large open lot. Whatever the people managed to pack into their cars is all they had left, karl was only left with a guitar, pack of smokes, and the cloths on his back. The rest of his stuff was taken by the destorido thugs and god only knows what happen to it. Karl managed to throw a few things like his leather coat and a couple of pictures of him and his brother and sister. Everyone was gone after the last trailer crossed the horizon, except for Karl who sat on the tailgate of his black tacoma truck.

It was not until he found the card that Thorn gave him at a local truck stop buried between his seat. Took sometime to find a pay phone and he gave a call to James to find out where the next show was.

"Yeah Bud, The girls have been looking for a roadie for awhile now. Are you good at getting things together quick and tuning instruments?" James asked him way back when. "Does a bear shit in the woods?" Karl asked James and it was history. But before he could jump into his truck and drive off to their show in Annapolis, Karl found a relic from his trailer and managed to package it for a special girl in his life before taking for the interstate. Didn't take long for him to find the Hex girls as the posters and the ever present sight of fans lead the way to their concert.

Meeting James formally was a pleasure as he and karl shared a liking for strong beer and metal. The two made friends quickly and soon karl found work with the Hex girls as a roadie, stage manager, and an unofficial bodyguard. James put him right to work, but before taking to work Karl dropped off the green rapped box off in the girls prep room before the show ended and hung out with the crew near the 18 wheelers. Besides James and him, Their was the short and muscular Jericho, The stalky Axel, and the heavy set Ross. The guys were a little unsure about Karl till the show ended and Karl snapped right into action and started calling the shots like a CEO. They guys respected Karl and soon Karl found himself another family.

But soon Karl smiled and remembered why he took up Thorn's offer in the first place... It was for her, for his baby girl, for Dusk. He remembered with a large fond smile of the expression of Joy on her face when he stepped out of the shadows and gave them a little scare. "What the fuck!?" She shouted as her sister jumped as he replied to dusk.

He remembered the startled expression on Thorn and Luna's faces, but the expression on Dusk was that of fear and her aggressive stance that she took. Karl remembered how her body was turned and her hand was gripped around the grip of the sword that sat in the box. 'She's been practicing.' He thought to himself as he leaned against the frame of the door. "Karl?!" The two shouted, but Dusk could only let go of grip and ran to him with open arms and cursing. 'She has opened up.' He said to himself as the blonde drummer in green rapped her arms around him and whispered, "It's you.. It's really you..." and in between her whispers were slight bits of cursing as she rapped her self around him tighter. Karl could only smile and rap his arms around her and whisper back to her, "I'm always in your heart and your heart is strong." As the words came out of his mouth, dusk stopped cursing herself out of frustration of her 'weakness' and only buried her head against his chest.

It was all poetry from then and now in the nations capital, Karl seemed to find balance for once in his life. Moving around from city to city wasn't a problem for Karl who had experienced the same life of constant moving, nor did the back breaking labor and stress that came with management. With Dusk at his side and the support of his new friends, Karl has possibly found a home for himself. Or at least he hopes he did. He could only smile and think of expression of glee and astonishment on Dusk's pale face and the tears that fell from her eyes like snow melting for the spring. Her cold piercing eyes seemed to radiate with happiness and even seemed to bloom like a flower in the spring. She was still the cold and aggressive he knew and loved, but she only showed the loving and sweet side only to her sisters and Karl.

They shared a bond with each other forged out of pain and suffering, love and loss, and the desire, the need, to find someone who was just like them. Dusk found Thorn and Luna, and Karl found her. Now they were all together as a mismatched family of some kind. It was good enough for Karl as long as he had Dusk at his side.

"Karl! Is everything out of here?!" James shouted to Karl. Karl turned around and gave a chuckle. "Hell yeah and on to Richmond for the next gig." Karl replied as the two gave a knuckle touch and walked toward a refreshment table were they grabbed a couple of bottles of water.

"Where are we going after Richmond? The Carolina's? Klantucky?" Karl said with his country twang coming back as the thought of crossing the mason dixie line and back home to the south. "Klantucky? Don't you mean Kentucky?" James corrected him with a raised brow. "Never mind, A Southern joke my friend. Yankees won't understand till you go there." Karl replied with a chuckle as the two came close to the black and red tour bus with the logo of the Hex girls painted in a mural on the side. "Are the girls in the bus?" Karl asked him as they came closer to the bus. "Yeah, their working on writing a few new songs and unwinding from the show." James said as they reached the door and the laugher of the girls filled them with joy.

"Hold up," James stopped before opening the door. "You have any smokes?" Karl shook his head, "Nah, I'm quitting. I figure I try and clean up my act a bit." Karl told him. "What about drinking?" Karl's face turned serious and he opened his eyes wide, "I will never quit drinkin, Never." The two then burst out laughing at karl's dramatic response and walked into the bus still chuckling. The girls were sitting on the couch talking and picking at one other about the show. Thorn was mostly writing and organizing songs in a red notebook with a black rose with thorns on the front of it. Luna was sitting next to thorn and humming a few bars while Dusk on the other hand was laying down on the couch with her feet up to relax.

"Look who finally decided to get on the bus." Luna said as James took to the drivers seat and started the steel beast of a tour bus as it lurched forward through the parking lot.

"Casually late, Lulu. Nothing wrong with that, eh?" Karl asked Luna sarcastically as Luna gave a scowl to Karl who could only give a chuckle. "Why do you call me that?" Luna asked him with a confused look on her face. Karl threw up his hands and gave a chuckle, "Just to mess with you, You know that." Karl replied before changing tune. "Sorry about us being late Y'all, February thaw is coming and its starting to freeze and thaw the stages bolts and connecters. But everything will be waiting once we cross over the Mason Dixon Line and on to Virginia." Karl told them as dusk sat up to let him sit and play with her hair. "Their going to take a mix of highway and county roads to save fuel and time. If we take them, I could show you the beauty of south instead of the miles of highway."

"Depends if we get lost again!" Dusk shouted to james so he would get the hint. Leaving new jersey just a few weeks before karl came to work with the girls, James took a wrong turn and delayed the next show for an hour. Wasn't much, but it lost a large amount of revenue for the band. $50 for a T-shirt isn't worth much if the crowd isn't head banging or screaming for the Hex girls at the top of their lungs. "Ya ya! Karl put his roads in a GPS, we're fine!" James spouted back as the bus hit the highway on to virginia.

"So you have everything organized?" Thorn asked Karl. He nodded, "Always have and always will be." "Good..." Thorn said as she thought of a line and wrote it in her song book. Luna gave a yawn and gave the girls signature 'Bat dreams' goodnight and walked to the back to sleep. Dusk gave a yawn and started to snuggle up in karl's black fleece like she was about to fall asleep on him. Karl gave a smile and continued to play with her hair till she finally fell asleep with her arms rapped around his waste and her face on his stomach.

"She loves you Karl, She really does." Thorn said quietly as she closed her notebook and turned her attention to the couple. "What makes you say that?" Karl said with a smile as he rubbed dusk's back as she snoozed peacefully. Thorn rolled her eyes and moved closer to the two speaking only in a whisper. "Karl, Dude, Dusk was a wreak when we left. She locked herself in our room and cried her eyes out till we reached Annapolis when she saw you and that sword you gave her. I've never seen dusk like that before, or at least not in awhile..." Thorn said with an odd tone to her voice as she seemed to cut herself off in mid sentence. "But look, Your making my sister happy and she loves you for it. I love you for it as well and so does Luna. So here, take this." Thorn turned to a drawer near the couch and pulled out a small black and red box. Karl was a little puzzled and asked her what it was, but thorn only responded with the usual 'just open it'.

Inside was a small sliver ring with celtic cross on the face of it. Inscribed in the band was Karl and dusk's full names and written in gothic lettering. "The girls and I were out today and we found a jewelry. It was Dusk's Idea for it all and with a little help from me and Luna as well." Thorn said with a smile as karl put the ring on his finger and moved his hand around to get a feel for the ring. He soon saw that on the sides of the ring was the cross that dusk wore around her neck. "She has to be Celtic, Just look at her cross and the ones on the ring. Haha, A Wiccan, A Celt, and A Pagan. I like this band even more." Karl said with a smile as pulled up his sleeve to see a swan tattooed on bottom of his left wrist and a celtic vertical crossbar on the opposite. "I have a celtic blood on my fathers side of the family as well as german. My mother is irish so Celtic is firmly in my bloodline. The swan is my zodiac in the celtic world, but the cross is the most symbolic to me." Karl explained as he showed his celtic tattoos to Thorn. Thorn herself was pagan and of the Wiccan variety and to find someone who was understanding and educated on the 'Old beliefs' as she herd some people call them. "The cross stands for past, present, and future. The circle around the cross stands for wholeness, for unification. This has even more meaning since I found you all." He said with a warm meaningful smile.

"Thank you Sally." Karl said as he hugged Thorn's neck and picked Dusk up like she was sleeping beauty. "I better take sleeping beauty here to bed and I'll be back. I got to chat with you about somethings anyways." Karl said as he walked to the back to put Dusk to bed. Opening the door he placed her in the bed next to her sister Luna and kissed her lightly on the lips before shutting the door behind him and sitting back beside Thorn. "Did you just call me Sally?" She asked him before he took a seat. "Yeah, I did. So?" Karl said with questionable look on his face and his hands up like he was in trouble. Thorn giggled and rolled her eyes, "Nothing," She said blushing a little. "Only my daddy and james call me by my name. It's just rare to hear it from anyone else." She said in a sweet, but firm tone. Karl sensing that he hit a nerve put his guard up and shaped up a bit for his boss, "Sorry about that Thorn, I was a little out of..."

"No No No," She said quickly. "You can call me Sally, After all your the only one that can call Dusk by her name. So you can do the same for me." Thorn said getting a little closer to him. Karl nodded and slightly scooted away from Thorn. She was pretty, very pretty, but karl's heart belonged to Muffy and Muffy alone. Besides, Thorn was clearly james's love interest and karl knew that from day one. Looking over his shoulder he saw james casually look into a mirror to check on them. Karl gave a chuckle, "Thank you Sally," Karl said a little awkwardly with a lump in his throat as he spoke to her by her real name. "Thank you for everything you and the girls have done for me. It... It uh... It means a lot to know that all y'all would let me into your lives. I know Dusk is beyond overjoyed about this for all I know, But what do you and Luna think of me?" Thorn gave a small hmmm and began to think.

"I don't know... Yet. So far your reliable, kind, and your willing to work and you don't bitch about it. I like that. Your Dusk's boyfriend and you make her happy, but you also give james a friend and a drinking buddy... So far I think your a good guy to have around." Thorn explained as the bus bounced on the decaying highway of maryland. "Luna, I have no idea. She seems alright with you. So what do you think of us?"

The bus soon turned off of the interstate and into a near by gas station where james stood up and told us that we need to refuel before crossing over into virginia. "Lets grab a couple packs of chips and maybe a drink or two for the road. Going to need something more than vapor to help me sing and speak." Karl joked to thorn as the bus came to a stop at the station. "Didn't you and Dusk hook up at a gas station?" She asked him as the two walked off the bus into the cool february night. Karl only smiled and blushed as he thought of the night him and Dusk first met, formally at least.


	3. Chapter 2: Relic of an Era

_**Working over the weekend I have completed the second chapter as well. Like before PM if you like or better yet give me a review :)**_

_**~Dresner**_

_**Disclaimer I own nothing**_

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Thorn and Karl were chatting like old friends as they walked out of the service station. "Oh my god, Dusk knocked out one of your friends?" Thorn asked him with a laugh as Karl told her about Drunk as fuck Jimmy of the trailer park. "Knocked the hell out of him." Karl said cooly as he opened his red bull and took a few sips to wake him up. Thorn looked to Karl as he sipped on the large red bull and rolled her eyes, "Your going to kill yourself with the smoking and the red bull." She said with a caring yet annoyed voice as he took another gulp from the large silver can. "Nah, I quit smoking for my baby girl." He scoffed as he pointed to the back of the bus where Dusk was sleeping. "Cigarettes are expensive here and down south. Seven dollars a pack! Plus I want to make a few improvements on myself anyways... I want to make her proud, you know?" Karl said with a laugh, but became sincere as he began to talk about Dusk again. "Karl, don't be so down on yourself. But I'm glad your willing to give up some habits for her." Thorn said as she looked around the filling station. "Hey, whats that?" Thorn asked as she tapped Karl on the shoulder. Karl turned and to his surprise was a strange little store with a sign that read 'Madam Zero's wares' in gothic letters above the store.

"Looks like a pawn shop or something." Karl said as he finished his Red bull and threw it away. "Want to kill a little time while james fills the bus up?" She asked him as she walked to the store at a brisk pace. Karl signed and followed her to the store where the smell of mothballs and thick french tobacco filled their noses as they entered the shop. A small bell rang and alerted the shopkeeper who was flipping wistfully through a magazine. It was a older woman around her late thirties or early forties with long curly black hair with ghost white complexion with beautiful teal or green eyes, almost an older clone of Thorn but with out the red tint to her hair and the gothic clothing that seemed to be replaced with gypsy dress and jewelry.

"Oh welcome to madam zero's house of wares, please browse for as long as y'all like." The woman said in a thick Louisiana accent as she peered over her magazine to see the two looking around her store. "Thank you kindly ma'am." Karl said with his alabama drawl and winked at her. The lady gave a chuckle, "Boy, you ain't from this neck of the woods are ya?" She asked as thorn began to look though the books near the door and other odd ideas around the store. "Nope, Alabama is my neck of the woods. How about you ?" Karl paired back to her jokingly as the woman was impressed to see the man knew her accent. "Good to see kind folk like yourself, What brings you to my store?" She asked as karl took interest to the wares around him.

The store was full of exotic items such as french tapestries, gothic iron furniture, Artwork from the 1800's, and even a few items that drew thorn in to a fit. "Karl! Come look over here!" Thorn called to him from across the store. The lady and karl walked to the back of the store and found thorn looking through a collection of books on Wicca and Celtic practices. Thorn's family was know for their tradition of Wiccan and paganism for generations. The Celts and Wiccan beliefs came together to form Celtic Wicca, Wicca with celtic beliefs in a nut shell. Thorn was known to pass the time on the long rides or flights to concerts by either practicing, song writing, or reading on Wicca and its many forms.

"I've never herd of some of these," Thorn said as she blew the dust off a few of the books. "How much are they?" Thorn asked the lady. The woman gave a laugh and took a look of some of the titles of the books. "For you Honey and your special someone, They are a dollar a piece." She said as dusted off a couple of the leather bound copies and handed them to thorn. "Thank you ms?"

"Claudia Angelica Marlin of the East parish Marlins, But you may call me Ms. Marlin. It is a pleasure to meet someone with such style and poise such as yourself." Ms. Marlin said shook Thorns hand. "Your name?" Marlin asked her in a kind tone. "Sally Mcknight of the, Uhhh, Oakhaven Mcknights." Thorn said rather ruffly as she tried to think of a title. "Ahh Your the lead of the Hex girls if I am not mistaken. My daughter and I enjoy your music and its style. You do not see many bands with the same values as us, y'know?" said as she gave a smile to Thorn as she showed them a neckless with pagan star. then turned her attention to Karl, "And who might this be?" She asked thorn as she looked over the rather handsome character clad in a black jacket, blue jeans, and boots. "Karl Dael ma'am, Of the Trussville Dael's on my fatherside and the Mountain brooke McDaniel's on my mother's. Please to meet you." Karl said in the most gentlemanly way possible. "Hmmm... Mr. Dael, Their is something here for you..." said as her face turned paler and her eyes became wide. She grabbed Karl by the hand and drag him toward a corner of the store past a collection of civil war portraits to a stand where a pair of vintage long boots from the civil war. The only light in this corner of the store was a amber light that hung just above the boots. They peered to be freshly polished with only limited signs of wear and tear and were all together in amazing condition for boots that were over 200 or more years old.

"These... These boots belonged to a man that bared the name Dael during the Civil war..." said before cleaning the dust off of the name plate that was on the stand. Something about these boots seemed compel karl to draw closer and closer as the smell of shoe polish and leather filled is sense of smell. Karl seemed different to Thorn as he closed on the boots as began to give a strange look of sympathy toward him. She then began to speak to Karl in a odd language that even thorn did not know of. To her it sound as if was a strange dialect of french with slurs in each sentence. Thorn recalled a few lines of french during her sophomore year in high school back in Oakhaven and could only follow one sentence that seemed to shake even the mystically savvy Sally Mcknight...

"They have waited for you for sometime now..." said in the french dialect with a strange look of fear on her face. Karl could only nod and soon the strange rushed the two out of the store, but before she locked the door behind them she told them one last thing...

"Reunion... Bring them to him..."

Karl nodded and rushed to the bus with a confused Thorn close behind with her books in hand. James was sitting in the drivers seat and spoke to Karl like they usually do, but Karl ignored him completely and sat straight down in a small recliner chair in the living room of the Bus and began to clean the books with a rag. "Karl..." She asked with unease in her voice as karl slowly turned his head to face her. "What were you and Claudia..."

"You will find out soon enough..." Karl said coldly as he returned to cleaning the boots.

"You'll see..."


	4. Chapter 3: Breaking the Glass

_**I've decided to make up for a few days of not posting and I've found a little down time in between my classes for writing. Yep, no life-ing the world of story writing. But, this is better than smoking **_**_cigarettes! Four weeks now! :)_**

**_Enjoy my friends, with love_**

**_~Dresner_**

**_DISCLAIMER_**_**- I OWN NOTHING**_

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"All you fucking do is clean those two hundred year old boots night and fucking day!" Dusk screamed at the top of her lungs as Karl sat soullessly in the chair in the bus. "Yeah Karl! Your crew has told us that you don't do anymore! James is doing your job for you while your playing with your booties like a child!" Luna insulted him as he looked at the two with empty eyes. The bus rocked a little as james walked onto the bus and started the engine. "Ok! Now that Birmingham has their fill of the Hex girls, On to Baton rouge!" James shouted to the two girls as the bus came to life once more.

Karl's expression changed instantly as he jumped to his feet, "Baton Rouge?" He interjected as the bus lurched forward and back onto the highway. "Yeah, Whats it to you?" James asked Karl rudely. Karl began speaking in the strange french and soon thorn appeared from the girls room with a book in hand. "Dusk! Luna!" She called to them in a whisper. The girls looked at her and then looked strangely at Karl as he paced in the living room like a troubled father at the waiting room of a hospital. Thorn closed the door quietly behind her sisters and locked the door behind them.

"Thorn, What do you fucking want!?" Dusk demanded as she became more and more annoyed with the strangeness of karl. "Calm down Dusk," Thorn said with ease in her voice as she sat her sister down on her bed. "I might have an idea of what is going on with your love." Dusk was blinded by the frustration and the anger that came with not knowing what was going on. "Then spit it out sally!" She demanded to her sister as Thorn opens the book with the title of 'Louisiana: Mysticism and Legend' and another titled 'Brother against Brother: The American Civl War'. "Alright! Alright!" Thorn shouted, ignoring Dusk's use of her first name. Thorn opened the paper back Civil war book to a page marked 'Louisiana: The Rebel with in the Rebel.'

"I know we all did not do so well in history class, but this is not a history lesson that we can sleep though and cheat off anyone next to us." Thorn told her sisters as she began to skip though the chapter till she found the page she was looking for. "When we left for Richmond just a few weeks ago, Karl and I walked to small shop next to a gas station. I found a few books that I liked until the shopkeeper came and we both introduced ourselves to her." She explained before a chill ran though her body as she remembered the look in their eyes. "When karl introduced himself, she lead him toward the back and she showed him those boots he cleans so methodically. The weirdest thing was the fact that Karl seemed to change into a different person... Like when he saw them he changed into another figure."

"Like the ora thing he talks about?" Luna said as she tried to remember what he told her about a long time ago. "Every man, woman, and child has a spirt. That spirt radiates from our bodies like the warm of a motor or the cold of winter. The ora brings people of the same spirt together and give the people around them an idea of who they are. The ora is the true you and never let anyone tell you other wise..." Dusk quoted her boyfriend word for word as a small tear dripped down her cheek. Dusk cursed under her breath as she felt a little weak in front of her sisters.

"Exactly! Who I saw in the store was not karl and neither is the man sitting outside this door." Thorn pointed out. "hold up, hold up, hold up!" Dusk interrupted, "How does any of this shit add up? Boots, Ora, and the Civil War?"

"Those boots belonged to..." A loud scream pierced the ears of the hex girls and the thunder of booted feet stomped up and down the middle corridor between their room and the drivers compartment. The screaming changed to a loud rant or chant in a strange language that the girls could barley understand. Thorn recognized the speech and dug though the pages in 'Louisiana: Mysticism and Legend' and placed her finger on a page and began to read as Karl's hellish rant became louder and louder. Trumping over james anger filled demands for him to calm down and shut his mouth.

"We are the forsaken few of 1862..." She said with a questionable look as she skipped though a few pages to a legend marked 'The Forsaken few of 1862' in the book. Before she could begin to read, her and her sisters were thrown about by the bus as it came to a sudden stop.

"REUNION!"

A strange voice gave blood curdling howl as the sound of splintering glass filled the cabin and complete silence filled the tour bus. The girls looked at each other with fear in each one of their eyes till finally a reluctant Dusk rose to open the door. As they opened the door they found their bus trashed and the large window next to the couch was smashed open letting in a thrust of frosty air into the bus. Large pieces of glass and blood covered the floor like some kind of scene from a murder. "Karl... What happened to you?!" Dusk cried into the night as she fell to her knees as she cried and cursed his name into the night.

"Must... return... Must return... Home... Coming home... Bring the relic... Crush... Crush him... REUNION!" Karl cried into the night as he ran though the forests of northern alabama in the dead of night. The cold air whisked across his face as did the branches of small trees and the brier bushes the cut into his face as he charged though the woods. He couldn't feel the thorns dig into cheeks and neck as he ran and blood dripped on the oak leaves on the hard cold ground. Leaving a small faint tail though the deer trails and paths though the darkness of the starlit night. As Karl sprinted though the winters night a feminine figure picked up a leaf with the blood of Karl still fresh.

"Oh dear... He is angry with him..." The woman said as she looked to the stars. "They are at least going in the right direction... I wonder what the girls think of all of this? Hmmm He can not do this alone..." The woman took her aging flip phone and dialed a number to a girls she meet sometime ago

"Ahh Yes... , we met in virginia a few weeks ago. Meet me at the Cyrus Amsel camp ground in the East Baton Rouge Parish. It is time to explain what is going on with your karl."


	5. Chapter 4: Opening

_**I'm proud to here from a read on a review of dusk and I want to give a shout out to Grumpydrawer for the review on Dusk, Thank you for the review my friend and for reading :) **_

_**This chapter is a lead up to the Legend of the Forsaken Few of 1862, The **_**_prologue gives a brief view of them. The next chapter will be posted sometime today :)_**

_**DISCLAIMER- I OWN NOTHING**_

_**With love, ~Dresner**_

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The bus pulled though a collection willow trees toward an empty park where the only light came from a campfire where a group of figures sat enjoying dinner together. A large dog sat upright like a human enjoying the meal as well with his tall and hippy like friend. The Hex girls walked passed their green and teal van with a flower pattern and Mystery inc. written on the side of it. "I'm glad their here, at least we have help from people who think that we aren't crazy." Luna said with a sleepy and unsure chuckle. "At least we have someone to help us. I guess we owe them tickets to our next concert, again." Thorn said with a giggle the lighten the mood as they came closer to them. Dusk said nothing since karl broke though the window and into the night like a wolf. The voice still rang though her ears and she could imagine what transpired behind the door.

"Do you think they can help us at all?" Luna asked Thorn as the came near. "I hope so..." Thorn said before the optimistic voice of Fred Jones and the rest of mystery inc. greeted them warmly. "Great to see you all!" Fred greeted them as did Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby. Scooby greeted Dusk with a lick to the face and her face lit up with a large warm smile. She was an animal lover above all, everyone knew that. Being abused as a child, Dusk began to harden herself to the cold and distant figure she was, and still is, today. The loved the innocents that came with animals and their ability to love even when their owner is a bastard to them. She envied their ability to forgive someone so ease and still retain their love.

"Hey scooby!" Dusk said with glee as she hugged the large great dane. "Ree Roo Dusk!" Scooby said in his happy go lucky voice. "Like hey girls..." Shaggy said rather fearful of their response. Luna and Thorn gave a warm hello while dusk completely ignored him.

Shaggy was a little puzzled, but shrugged it off fearful of Dusk and her hostility that he come to know. "Great to see that you have made it on time. How was your drive though my land?" An odd woman said as she placed a cigarette in her mouth. "Ms. Marlin? Is that you?" Thorn asked the woman as she moved closer to the fire to see dressed in jeans and a red flannel shirt. Thorn was surprised to see that Marlin had a similar figure like herself. For someone of Claudia Marlin's age to have a figure like Thorn was an amazing sight in this part of the country.

"Indeed , Tell me was it a surprise to have a call from yours truly?" Claudia asked thorn as she lit the cigarette in the fire. "Yeah... It was... But how did you get our number? Internet?" Thorn asked her as Claudia blew smoke out of her nose. Dusk took a whiff of the air and smelled the familiar scent of the Karl's trade mark Marlboro Black 100's that he always smoked. "Those are Karl's smokes! Where is he!?" Dusk shouted at Claudia with her fists at the ready. "Who's Karl?" The mystery gang asked her. "Wheres my man!?"

Claudia pulled out a black smartphone and threw it to Dusk. "Amsel family manor, just a trip though the bog here and you will find him... He dropped his phone and his delectable brand name cigarettes he loved so much while thundering though the forests of alabama like a demon escaping a priest. Luckily, I know my land better than anyone of these intruders." She said with a dark smile.

"Wait a minute, This land belonged to you Ms. Marlin?" Velma asked as she cleared the smoke from her face from Claudia's cigarette. "It BELONGS to me and my family since the 1700's and will always will. The whole of the east parish belongs to the Marlins since our exile from Acadia!" Claudia said with a hiss to the orange clad woman. Claudia then spoke hostilely in the same dialect of french that she spoke to Karl in and Thorn soon recognized her as a Cajun. "Ms. Marlin, I'm sorry but she did not..." Daphne said as she tried to defend Velma. "Child..." Claudia said with a remorseful look in her eye.

"I'm sorry for my unruly behavior. The swamp does things to people in times of pain... But I digress. My family knows this land better than anyone here in the state. Amsel Manor is where I tracked him to and he has good reason to make the journey to the Amsel manor on foot. I just wish that he brought a gentle soul with him for protection... But I'm sure his reunion will bring him good faith..." Claudia motioned a cross on her chest and gave a short word to the heavens.

"Wait, Like what is going on man? Who's Karl?" Shaggy asked as him and scooby looked very puzzled as did the rest of the gang. "Karl is my lover... and... and he..." Dusk was soon cut off by Claudia who blurted, "He is sharing a body."

Everyone looked around in a mix of shock and confusion at what she meant by 'Sharing a body'. "Wha...Wahhh... What? Sharing a body?" Shaggy asked as he and scooby bit their finger nails.

"Are you saying that their is another Karl?" Luna asked Claudia as she put out her cigarette butt. "No. Their is only one Karl with one body. But their is another spirt, another soul, that has taken roost with in his body." Claudia said with a matter of fact look on her face.

"Wait! So their is a Ghost inside of him?" Dusk asked her in a mix of disbelief. "Oh yeah that makes a whole lot of fucking sense!" "Not a Ghost, an entity. Not a evil entity like one would expect with any other possession. This is almost like that of multiple personality disorder or a marriage, where two people or souls share one body." Claudia explained, ignoring Dusk's sarcasm and disrespect.

"Spiritual Host." Thorn interjected. "Karl is the Host, but who is the guest?" "Those boots! Those boots! It has to be those boots!" Luna interrupted Thorn. "So we find my baby, destroy the boots, and everything goes back to normal?!" Dusk asked with glee in her voice.

Claudia gave a wicked chuckle and all eyes fell on her... "'Those boots! Those boots!' She cries, yet does she understand the reason for them?" Claudia taunted Dusk. "You gave him those boots! Your the cause of this!" Dusk and Thorn screeched at Claudia in tandem. "Girls! Please, Calm down! I'm sure that she can explain!" Fred, Daphne, and Velma shouted to Thorn and Dusk as they came closer to Claudia with looks of death in their eyes. Karl was family and no one harms their family, nobody!

Claudia gave yet another evil grin and chuckle. She motioned her hands for everyone to sit down and to get conferrable.

"Now that everyone is up to pace on the where about of our fair Karl, I must make the picture a little more clear for us to rap our minds around what in the world is going on. Children, Tonight I will tell you a story that still Haunts this Parish to this day..." The fire cracked and wined in the cold winters night. No sound was herd though out the swamp as even the crickets and frogs became silent in respect for the tale...

"Everything began in the dying days of antebellum... For Louisiana that time was in the Hot summer of August 1862 with the forsaken few..."


	6. Chapter 5: Forsaken Few of 1862

_**Sorry about not posting this yesterday, Oct 1st, apparently my friends like to mess with me when I'm busy writing -_- **_

_**But, All is good. This **_**_legend, the forsaken few of 1862, is based off of a legend that has been pasted down my fathers side of the family._** _**Being from the Southern United States you kind of learn these stories by heart :) **_

_**Thank you all for **_**_coming to read my work and I would love to hear from you._**

**_With Love, ~Dresner_**

* * *

**_DISCLAIMER_**_**- I OWN ONLY THE TALE OF THE FORSAKEN FEW AND KARL DAEL, THE REST GOES TO THE CREATORS OF SCOOBY DOO**_

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"Louisiana has always had a checkered history in the lands south of the Mason-Dixon line. Talks of hauntings, voodoo, and the occasional visit from the forces of Lucifer spread like a plague though the papers and whispers of the fair people who live in this fine state... One of the Tales is that of the Forsaken Few of 1862." Claudia lit another cigarette as darkness took over her voice.

"1862... Union forces annexed the free city of New Orleans and we on their merry little way toward the capture of the whole of Louisiana itself. But the Grey coats of the CSA were not going to have that, Never... The Rebels gathered together all the regiments they could to destroy the invaders and one of those Regiments was that of the 4th Alabama... Attached to the 4th Alabama was a recognizance unit known by their unofficial title of 'Hall's Rangers' lead by a arrogant, but kind, man by the name of Lieutenant Zachary Hall. A towering man of thirty know for his iron nerve and limitless ferocity. In August, Just hours before the battle of Baton Rouge, Hall and his unit of 13 men were sent into this very bog..."

Scooby and Shaggy shivered as Claudia pointed her pale skinned hand to the bogs and swamps just in front of them. Her skin seemed to shine in the orange light of the fire and soft, but haunting voice added to the ambiance as did her cajun twang.

"Early one summers morning the men of the 4th Alabama began their march with the rest of the Confederate army toward the capital... Hall took lead though the swamp lands with his men, but soon were disoriented by the fog and the ever present danger of the local alligators that hide just below the water... By mid morning they were lead out of the swamp with all hand still accounted for by following the trials of local whitetail. To their surprise they were able to give a sigh of relief to find a path that wasn't crawling with cotton mouth's and gators... To their surprise they found a large road that seemed to stretch for a country mile... Crimson was its color, Red clay perhaps, but the men were hesitant about walking on this road. It looked... Fresh... They was not a single foot print from anyone, not even the creatures that inhabited these swamps have made their impression. The frogs were silent as well, which gave the impression that their was someone else besides themselves in this area."

"Hall ordered his men to continue their advance down the Crimson road, but his men clutched their henry rifles tightly in their hands with every step that was taken. Something wasn't right... His men knew this... But, they trusted their officer and continued down the crimson path with nothing but the sounds of their foot steps to keep them company. That was short lived as they came across a strange figure admiring the melancholy beauty of the willow trees. The figure was dressed in a lavish black suit with a red rimmed top hat, twirling an ivory cain. The strange man greeted Hall by his full name and shook his hand with out hesitation. As he greeted the strange man, Hall looked over at his men with disgust and embarrassment at the fact that his men were not acting like gentlemen."

"Hall barked and scald his men for their lack of manners, of all things. Till each of his men shook the cold hand of the suited gentleman. The gentleman greeted each of the soldiers the same way with Hall. Rank. First name. Last name. The look in the eyes of each of the men... The look of a frighten faun gazing into the eyes of a starving hound... Fear... These men have fought in some of the most hopeless battles of the war would charge into the frayed with out a second thought, even as the first volley of rifle fire ripped their tunics and grazed their cheeks..."

"But hall simply ignored the unrest radiated from their war torn eyes and took up an offer from the strange gentleman in the silk suit. The offer was to take up quarters in his manor just down the road. Hall accepted the offer as a way to give his men a break from trekking in the mud and gunk of the parish swamps and bogs. But before Hall took down the road with the man toward his home, He asked for his name. But he only gave him a title, Lord Amsel."

"Lord Amsel lead the platoon down his road till the sun began to set behind the tree line. Their stood the manor... A large white manor home that appeared to be newly finished or refurbished. The appellant plantation home was not present on the maps that we're given to the Rangers and neither was its existence... As dusk appeared on the horizon and the darkness of night sky straggled the last bit of light out of the summer sky, The screams of dying men echoed though the swamp till only the light of the moon brighten the ground below. From the time they arrived till the moon rose high above them, Ten men died."

"From... From what?" Daphne asked quietly as she grabbed fred's arm to give her comfort.

"Self inflicted wounds... Insanity... Some ran into the swamp to escape the screaming and were devoured by the gators..." Claudia answered nonchalantly with a foul grin as she listed the brutality that came to the men of Hall's rangers.

"Besides Hall himself, their was a Sergeant Hollister and a Young Corporal named John Dael. They were the only remaining members of the platoon..."

"Karl's ancestor..." The Hex girls said together.

"'Find him...' Hall told his remaining men with his heavy framed colt revolver in hand. For a period of two hours, He and his men ransacked the manor till they regrouped near the front door where soon the smell of burning oakwood filled the room... Odd foot prints scorched into the floor behind them... The men followed the footprints to the door leading to the basement. Opening the door they followed the footprints till the trail disappeared and the smell of burning oak was replaced with the metallic smell of blood and the stench of burning flesh filled the air around them. The men were coughing and vomiting at the overbearing stench of death around them, They stubbed on the a hidden doorway in their disorientation."

"The doorway lead into these rather large and bleak catacombs only lit by dying torch light. The odor of the dead and dying grew stronger as they came to their feet, as did a mixture of howls, whispering, and, from what they could hear, prayer... Hall, Hollister, and John trekked deep into the catacombs till they reached a large cave with a large blood soaked obelisk made out of the reminds of men and animals. On his knees was Lord Amsel, praying in what seemed to be a mix of latin and tongue in front of the horrific abomination that was the obelisk."

" 'To your feet!' " Hall screamed at the top of his lungs as he drew his pistol. The screaming, The smell, and the terrible sounds around him ceased... Lord Amsel faced the three men... His face became terrifyingly disfigured and his voice became corrupt, as if their were more than one soul with in his body. 'Silly Zachary... Join us...' The monster that Amsel became spoke to them in his distorted voice. The three men recognized some of the distortion to be the voice of their fallen brothers... The hatred, the fear, and the anger finally broke Zachary into a fire rage as he cocked the hammer on the back of his colt pistol and pulled the trigger, Shooting the demon in the middle of his forehead. But the demonic Amsel stood there cackling at Hall with the smile of a sadist."

"Hall could feel something trying to take control of him as he began to lose feeling in his right arm. The pistol began to become weightless and Hall could feel a presents with in... He fought with all of his might and began to recite Scripture in a vain attempt reclaim control. 'Plant the dynamite boys! Bring this demon to the gates of hell where he came!' Hall shouted as his men rushed into action. Hollister and John set the TNT as fast as they could around the obelisk and the entrance to the room where it sat. 'It's all done sir!' Hollister shouted to him. 'RUNNNNNN!' Hall shouted as he pulled the trigger once more and hit the demon right between the eyes. Hall whisked around once more and fired the last shot in the cylinder and hit the TNT bundles that his boys had set up. The charges thundered though the cave as the two ran though the catacombs at near lighting speed never looking back to see what they had left behind. Only a blood curdling scream and the sadistic laugher of the demonic Amsel followed them as they ran away... They ran and ran and ran and ran till they came to the front yard of Amsel manor. John recommended to run down the road for wits they came, but Hollister disagreed and ran quickly into the bog to escape the fait that awaited him... The gators devoured Hollister..." Claudia paused and took a drink from a bottled water.

"What happen... What happen to him? To john?" Dusk asked fearfully. Claudia look over toward Dusk with sympathetic eyes.

"John ran down the road with out cavil... He ran for what seemed to be an eternity till dawn broke the next day. He never stopped to find a spot on the ground away from cotton mouth vipers and the gators, but fell where he stood and awoke sometime he was found by forward elements of the Alabama and was taken to their commanding officer.

"Boy, Where is your unit?" He asked the shaken Corporal John. "Their dead sir..." John said in a cold monotone voice. "Who killed them, boy?! Twas it the federals!?" The officer demanded. "No... They... They are dead..."

"DAMN IT SON, WHAT HAPPEN TO YOUR UNIT!?" The officer screamed.

"We were Abandoned by god...""

"To this day, no one can find a solid explanation of what transpired that day in August of 1862. Some believe that Hall and his men defected, others believe the gators and the fever got'um, while some believe that it was lucifer himself who dragged them down to the fires of hell... But, What of John and his tale of what transpired? After all he was there and saw it all... No... John was killed during the battle of Chickamauga in 1863 after taking a bullet to the chest... His body was sent home later that year and was buried in a cemetery in Birmingham. But before his burial, his brother, Bryan Dael, Removed his boots and kept them till his death and began a tradition of passing them though the Dael Family. Karl's father was given those boots when his grandfather died in 1995. But his new wife, wendy, sold them to Madam Zero and I soon became their keeper."

"Hold on! How in the fuck do you know Karl and how in the hell do you know about his fucking family?!" Dusk exploded into a fit of rage once more and grabbed Claudia by her flannel shirt. "That is none of your concern. Right now we have to find karl.." Said Claudia coolly as she pushed Dusk off of her and walked to the mystery machine.

"Come, Put on a pair of boots and grab a light! We go into the swamp tonight!"


	7. Chapter 6: Power

_**Hello my friends, I apologize for not posting Chapter 6 **_**_yesterday. Apparently the internet in Alabama is only surpassed by that of Somalia XD_**

**_So I finished this at 11:59pm and I wanted to post it then, but no. Either way enjoy this chapter. _**

**_DISCLAIMER- I OWN NOTHING, YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS, LOL_******

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Sarah Ravencroft thundered across the spectral plane of damnation that was the spirt world. She flew hard and fast as if she was running away from the book that trapped her in this hellish and desolate plain. Sarah grew tried as a beam of light encompassed her and her spirt slowly dropped to the ground below. Sarah stopped in place with her face fell into the dirt and a black ash like dust flew into the air coving her pure white dress.

"Why do you run from me, Sarah?" A sinister voice asked Sarah. "You..." Her voice said in a loathly arrogant tone with a hint of fear rolling off her voice as she dug her hands into the ground as the reserves of her power were beginning to be drained by a dark and lavishly dressed figure. The figure was dressed in a suit that appeared to be a collection of lavish italian silk and the tanned skin of human flesh. His long hair was raven black tied into long pony tail, as was his facial hair in french fork style. Pale toned skin, Soul shattering black eyes, Ironworker muscles, and a smile only a sadist would love.

His black appearance was only offset by the blood red collar of an undershirt tied to his neck with a midnight silk tie. The well dressed figure was hovering just off the ground with a large mist of black following him and soon engulfed the weakened Sarah, along with its master. Sarah tried to gain the strength to strike the figure, but he soon rose his hand and the final reserve of power that reminded in Sarah's body was drained from spirt. As the last ounce of ora flowed into the finger tips of the haunting figure.

"Why!?" Sarah howled in pain as her power was ripped from her. The figure halted the drain of Sarah's powers and crouched to his knees toward her ear to whisper.

"Simple my Dear," He said in a sinister tone as his warm breath graced the side of her neck. "I want you to struggle." The figure stood up and looked over Sarah with the eyes of a hungry wolf overviewing the final breath of his prey. He could not help but notice the stark beauty of the moribund sorceress as her laid on her stomach with tears of pain as tried to hold on to the very last of her power.

"I released you from your prison, yet you rewarded me with insults and when your arrogance caused you to return to this moribund landscape of your spell book... Your arrogance, Your ignorance, and your ego lead to your imprisonment with in your book." Said the figure as he stood up and turned his back on Sarah as she laid on the ground. "Taking me into your hellish purgatory with you..."

"It twas thous incompetence that lead to my imprisonment!" Sarah screamed in defiance as she turned on to her back. "You stood in the way of my vengeance against the world of the living and righteous! You..." The figure turned and a red inferno shot from his hand striking the arrogant witch and causing her to convulse and scream in agony. "Twas your incompetence, Twas your haughty posture. Unlike you, my iniquitous ancestor, I have at least a shred of morality and mercy that remains..." The figure gave a smile to the wounded sarah and held out his hand as a sign of good faith. The figure may have been a demonic degenerate, but deep inside buried under the evil and corruption that such unworldly power brings he was still human and still retained a fraction of altruism.

"Come with me as my servant and together we will rule the cosmos... Together the name of Ravencroft will echo though out the ears of humanity. Together our rule will be eternity." The figure reached his cold hand to Sarah in a gesture of friendship and common goal. But the pompous witch scowled at the dashing figure in black and crimson as she held her head into the sky.

"I would never share my rightful place as ruler of the dossal masses of ignorant peasants that you benevolently refer to as 'Humanity'." Sarah Ravencroft said with disgust. "How dare you even call yourself by the moniker of Ravencroft?! How dare you Ben Ravencroft!?" She howled in her last moments of her insolents before another long angry filled blast of red energy finally ended the wretched existence of Sarah Ravencroft...

The brilliant white that once surrounded her and her clothing turned to the light brown and black of the dress she wore in youth. Her middle-aged appearance soon began to age at a alarming rate as she soon turned into a skeletal figure with skin simply stretched around her. Her began to become mortal as well as ultra long and unkept.

"You...Will...Fail..." Were Sarah's finally words as the last of her power was absorbed by Ben Ravencroft. He crouched down once more to the now mortal body of Sarah Ravencroft. He let out a sigh and reached out to the red pendant around her neck. He gazed over the beauty of the pendant before a gust of wind turned the body of Sarah into nothing but a cloud of dust, along with the pendent as well...

The darkness that surrounded them returned into hands of Ben Ravencroft and soon a strange man appeared behind him with an ivory cain in hand. "I see you tied up a loose end for me and our family... Thank you Mr. Ravencroft." The figure said to Ben in a thick high class southern accent. "Lord Amsel, What a pleasant surprise this is." Ben addressed him with surprise.

"Indeed this is, I was worried about your endeavor with Sarah. I would think a sorceress of such caliber would have been more of a struggle against a warlock, especially a warlock of her own gene pool. What a shame..." Amsel said nonchalantly with a little sadistic chuckle toward the end. "I accomplished what we both have strived for, an end of existence for Sarah. Now it is your turn to return the favor Lord Amsel."

Amsel was a tale and youthful man, around 29 or 30, with clean immaculately kept short brown hair and a smooth freshly shaved baby face. Dressed in a black suit and sporting a red rimmed top hat and ivory cain, Amsel looked as if he was a younger and more modest version of Ravencroft. Amsel gave Ben a large sadist smile and a twinkle in his eye even managed to give the authoritative and intimidating figure that Ravencroft had become a shiver.

"Ben, my boy, my home is in tatters from my last house guests. Soldiers are not the best house guests if you ask me. Tore my beautiful home apart like a whore in the hands of a lonely gentleman. But their will be more..." Amsel twirled his cain and a portal to the mortal world appeared. In the vision were nine figures trekking through the dank swamp lands that surrounded Lord Amsel's manor. "Hmmm they look youthful... Full of life and purity." Amsel remarked as he gazed at the young bloods in the middle of the pack.

"I recognize them... Those kids, their mutt, and those Wiccan's..." Ravencroft detested, grinding his teeth as he remembered the night the Wiccan leader and the kids banished him inside of that accursed book he lusted for for so many years. "I'm getting a of trouble from those, rather incising, young girls in the back and the hag at the front. But that is not our only trouble..." Amsel said, licking his lips with his viper tongue as he shifted the view of the portal to a blistering darkly dressed figure running though the swamplands.

"Who may that be?" Ravencroft asked Amsel as the two observed his supernatural speed and tenacity in his movements. "It looks like the thirtieth soul that escaped me all those years ago has returned..."


	8. Chapter 7: Waking up

_**Hello everyone, I didn't forget to post **_**_yesterday. Mostly work has put me into a tight spot, but I find time. _**

**_This chapter will explain and open doors into Karl's side of the story. The next chapter will show Claudia Marlin and the Hex girls side in depth. Coming together rather well isn't it?_**

**_With love ~Dresner_**

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The spirt that was housed with in Karl's body began to grow wiry and in need of rest, as was Karl himself. Besides the full moon and the southern stars lighting his way though the gloom of the swamp. Karl took brief refuge with in the large, almost cave like roots that held a large cypress tree. Hanging on its branches were long strands of spanish moss swinging lightly in the cool breeze. Karl was breathing heavily from his journey across three states on foot though swamp, forrest, fields, and streets.

The boots he wore on his aching feet were the boots of his ancestor, Corporal Johnathan J. Dael of the 4th Alabama rifles. Walking 400 something miles from Birmingham to Baton Rouge though swamp land, fields, farmland, and forests in a pair of riveted and nailed leather boots was not a journey of comfort for either a solider during the war or an outcast of today. He removed his boots and his T-shirt to cover the boots from any insects from crawling inside of his boots.

Karl could feel an ounce of conciseness for the first time in a few days and took one, long, deep breath and look around in confusion of where he was. The pain from his aching legs, the deep wounds on his hands from breaking glass, cuts on his face from thorns, the emptiness of his stomach, and the physical drain of close to no sleep rushed though his mind and body. 'Where am I? Why... Why am I in such pain? How did I get here?' He thought to himself as he looked around inside the little shelter that the cypress tree gave him.

He crawled toward a opening and was soon surprised by a bolt of lighting that crashed into a dying tree, catching fire and crashing into the mirky swamp water below. Heavy rain followed suit and a cold wind as well, 'Perfect...' He said sarcastically as he wiped his face from the cool rain and found his hand to be the color of an odd mix between dried blood and dirt.

He soon checked his pockets to find nothing but a sliver zippo lighter engraved with his and Dusk's names on each side of the lighter. Dusk gave him the lighter as a gift for their month long anniversary, as was the special night that the two spent together as lovers. Karl flipped open the cover and began to spin the flint wheel to give him a light source, as well as something to entertain him. The lighter gave off a few sparks before coming a light and gave off a rather unusual amount of light that seemed to encompass the majority of his shelter.

"Try to keep that torch of yours out of the rain..." A voice said to him. Karl quickly turned around to the down pour behind him and saw nothing. He looked around franticly for the source of the voice, but soon backed into a corner and began to question his judgement as he stood on the brink of insanity. He turned to the boots and saw that the shirt he used to cover them had fallen to the ground. "Better keep the bugs out of them, I can't end up with a wasps nest or something in my boots when I wake up from this nightmare."

As he reached for the shirt the sound of boots sloshing though mud and muck began to grab his attention. "Karl... Karl..." He could hear faintly in the distance, but could not see anything past his finger tips. The clouds and rain have blocked out the moon and star light above made any chance at a visual impossible. Karl stood up briefly to try and look outside, but was forced back by what seemed to be human hands.

Karl blacked out as forces seemed to drag him back into the shelter. A figure dressed in a grey stood in front of karl as two more figures pulled him though the roots and into the swamp...

Karl awoke in a daze with in the confines of a makeshift tent made out of blue coats and canvas. The cold wind seemed to be nullified by his sense of fear. He was sitting in a wooden chair behind a rather small table with a oil lamp burning brightly. As he searched the tent nervously with his eyes the cloth door opened and a figure dressed in a grey coat stepped into the room, removing his cap and placing it on the table along with a battered and cloth rapped lever action Henry rifle against his chair.

"I see you have came to," Remarked the grey coated man as he gave a smile. "The rangers are usually more aggressive when they take a prisoner. Feel grateful that they found our flag on your wallet." The man threw Karl's wallet on the table and on its side was a black and white version of the 'Star's and Bar's' of the Confederate battle flag. "You should also be very toward me for saving you, Or should I say your heritage, family, or blood." The figure brought his face toward the light and Karl was shocked to see that the figure was a spitting image of him. "What in the name of..." Karl said in shock as he tried to process all that was happening. "Are... Are you..." Karl said hesitantly before the figure injected with one name. "Jonathan J. Dael." The two spoke together, their voices sounding almost identical.

"Indeed, I am him. Or should I say, your ancestor." The figure said with a light chuckle. "I see my decedents have taken care of these old marching boots since I was put out to pasture..." Jonathan said as he placed his foot on the table to revile the boots Karl was given in virginia. "How did?" Karl asked himself as he looked down to his feet and found that Jonathan's boots were no longer on his feet... But replaced with a pair of officers jackboots.

"How did I get these?..." Karl was soon interupted by another grey coated solider with another battered second hand henry rifle on his back. "Sir," The man said in a cold monotone. "We have a party of nine heading toward the manor... What should we do?" He asked Jonathan who only gave him a strange, yet rude look. "Why are you asking me, Trooper?" Jonathan asked him and soon pointed to Karl. "And why are you not saluting an officer?"

"Ohh... Yes sir." The trooper apologized and gave a salute to Karl. "Sir! What is gonna be our corse of action?" The trooper said with feeling as he clicked his heels together smartly. "Jonathan... What are you talking about? Sir, what are talking about as well!? What the hell is going on!?" Karl demanded as he jumped to his feet. The two figures looked at him with the strange look of... Hope, of all things.

Jonathan stood up from his chair, "Karl... I will forgive your ignorance as I failed my duty as a loving member of your family to explain our plight.."

"When we, the rangers, were still among the living and the flesh. When we were young and idealistic... We took arms for an idea that was greater than ourselves and for years we struggle for the abstract idea, that became reality for five glorious years. In our struggle, the men and I lost more than just our lives... In Louisiana we lost our chance to reach the light... To reach the kingdom, to reach the relief of shedding the suffering, the bleeding, and the dying that we saw as our brothers were slaughtered like cattle in the fields, in the mountains, and in the seas..."

Even as a spirt Karl could see the pain in his ghostly eyes and even tears as he spoke of the comrades he lost in his service.

"I took up the rifle, the uniform, and the idea because I had enough of the unfairness, the injustice, and the tyranny. Because I knew deep with in my soul that the cause was just... Because it was right. Now It is your turn..." Karl looked at Jonathan as if he was mad. "What cause?! What in the name of the Father, the mother, and the spirt are you talking about?! None of this has answered anything I've asked you!" Karl grew angry and tried to stand out of his chair, but something was holding him down and soon he looked down to the floor to see if his feet were working, but it was the boots that were holding him down. "What the hell..."

"John, Your blood doesn't understand a thing your saying. We might as well shot him and feed him to the gators. Hell, he sounds more ignorant that Hall." The trooper said as he pulled the Henry off of his back and chambered a shell. "Whit, shoulder your rifle before I make you." Jonathan said coldly as he grabbed the muzzle of the weapon. Trooper Whit's face turned grey and obeyed his friends command.

"Do you know of my story?" Jonathan asked Karl as his tone changed to a calmer and friendly tone. Karl nodded, "Yeah, you served in the confederate army till your death in 1863. Their was a story about how you met the devil in the swamps..." "The devil himself doesn't even hold a candle to the man who wiped out the Forsaken few... Lucifer looks like an alter boy compared to Lord Cyrus Amsel..." Trooper whit interjected as he shouldered his rifle.

"Who is Cyrus Amsel?" Karl asked him agitated at the dramatic change of events around him.

"The bastard who wiped out our unit with his power..." Jonathan's voice began take a grim tone and a red ora of hate began to take form around his spirt. "He... He took Hall's mind! Led us though this swamp with promises of relief from the constant fighting. That we could finally hang our hats in a warm house in the winter or swim in a cool lake during the blistering summers. But no... We knew better... We knew better, but out of ignorance at the time and the at the respect of our officer we reminded..." Jonathan then stood up dramatically and threw the table over to the side.

"Things... happened. To this day I can not find the strength to even look into the swamp water to look at myself." Jonathan's voice became woebegone and the ora turned from crimson fire to depressant blue. "Even as a spirt, we all still feel the pain... The suffering... The downcast... We are still human, we still have the emotion. But we..." Jonathan took karl's hand and pushed it against his face. Karl's hand phased though his face and only smoke could be seen before it returned. Karl was in shock and horrified at what he had seen, but retained a cold outer exterior.

"We need you avenge us and when you do you will do more than end our suffering." Jonathan said as he placed his two cold hands on Karl's shoulders. "What... What Happened to you all?" Karl asked him as the chill of the ghostly hands sent ice down his veins.

Jonathan closed his eyes and a pulse of mystical power rushed though Karl's body and the events of that faithful day poured into his mind. Beams of light shot though his eyes and mouth as everything was told to him in extreme detail from their trip to arrival and even to the brutality of the deaths that were given to the men of the 4th Alabama...

Karl awoke on the outside of the tree with the old boots still on his feet. The rain was thick and came down harder than before, but Karl did not care. He put his hand on his forehead and looked around the swamp to make sure he was still retained sanity in some aspects. Reaching back into his pocket retrieved his lighter, but put it away as he soon saw what appeared to be oil lamps illuminating a path though the swamp.

"I know what I must do..." He said to himself as he took to his feet and began walking though the swamp.


	9. Chapter 8: Claudia

**_Hello everyone, Dresner returning from the showers of the tropical storm to bring you another chapter of dawn. it is 11:55pm over here and so far I have done a swell job of nearly posting every day since I gained internet at home. How is everyone enjoying Dawn so far? I would love to hear from you all!_**

**_Anyways, enjoy another chapter of Dawn_**

**_With Love ~Dresner_**

* * *

Claudia led the party of nine from the front of the pack like the alpha of a wolf pack. With lantern in hand and boots on her feet, Claudia and the party trekked though the swamps leaving behind a few lanterns behind as a path back to the campsite. Losing ones sense of direction in a swamp in the witching hour spell certain death for anyone, even a cajun swamp woman like Claudia. Close behind were the Hex girls Thorn, Luna, and Dusk clad in rain coats to cover their signature goth attire and rubber boots to cover their feet.

Thorn stood close to Claudia with lantern in hand while her sisters, Dusk and Luna, stayed close behind their leader. But even her sisters could see the same admiration in Thorn's eyes as they could see in each others. They could see the resemblance between the two characters in both physical and spiritual appearance. But Claudia was more seasoned in life and other fields than she lead on and Thorn was drawn to this ora of firmness and conviction that seemed to radiate from her.

Dusk on the other hand was stuck in a constant loop of worry and dread. From the time they began to journey into the swamp she rapped Karl's leather coat around her body and never spoke a word since it began. Dusk could only silently pray under her light breaths

"May the road rise up to meet you.  
May the wind be always at your back.  
May the sun shine warm upon your face;  
the rains fall soft upon your fields  
and until we meet again,  
may God hold you in the palm of His hand."

Luna could faintly hear her younger sister with half hearted surprise. No matter what your beliefs are, people always tend to call upon the spiritual to give them strength in times of pain. Luna was suspired at the fact that Dusk was praying in general. Thorn and Luna only knew the basics about Dusk in general like her love of drums, fighting, Metal music, and being in the spot light. She looked over at her and saw she was holding the cross she wore in her hands like a Catholic priest as she began again. Luna came from a rather good life before she was sent away, Her family were Protestants and she could recall going to services dressed in pretty blue and pink dresses for the early morning service. She could almost recall all passages and prayers from the king james bible, but the prayer itself and the way dusk spoke was unknown to Luna. Even after becoming pagan she could not recognize it.

"Dusk, are you praying?" Luna asked her with her warm hazel eyes sparkling in the amber light of the oil lamp. Dusk ignored her and continued on her loop. Luna turned her attention to Mystery inc. who were close behind as she could hear the chattering of shaggy and scooby's teeth behind them. "You guys doing fine?" Luna asked them as she pulled back behind the monk like Dusk to join the crew behind them. Fred and Daphne weren't much company as they were sharing a rain coat and busy keeping their whits about each other. Velma nodded and soon Luna found a friend in the party of nine that wasn't acting strange.

"We appear to be alright, Just the usual." Velma replied. "If you don't mine me asking, but why aren't you with your sisters? Usually your at thorn's side along with Dusk..."

"Somethings are... Happening..." Luna said vaguely as she looked over at the ghostly shell that Dusk had become. "I remember Dusk saying something about her Man?" Velma inquired. Luna rolled her eyes, "Yeah, She lost someone close to her a few days ago... Karl... Her other half." Luna said with a half hearted grin as she said 'Her other half'. "Karl and Dusk are inseparable it seems, but after he got those boots... He... Changed. Like something took him over and then out of no where he breaks out though the window of our tour bus." Luna paused and gave a sigh as the sound of the chattering of Shaggy and Scooby teeth behind them as well as their whimpering.

Luna was known for her warm hearted nature and her ability to feel for others. A girl with such a warm heart could not help but feel annoyed at the sound. She turned to face Scooby and Shaggy to scowl at them, but soon gave a sigh and pet scooby to calm his nerves and as well as her own.

"Are you both alright?" She asked the two. "Reah, Re Rall Right." Scooby said innocently as Luna's long nails scratched the top of his head calming him down. "Yeah Luna, Me and Scooby are alright. Just a little, ha-ha, frighten." Shaggy said in his trademark frightful laughter. Luna gave a little warm little laugh as the tall, skinny, hippy like figure that stood next to her. She leaned down and whispered into Scooby's ear, "You and karl are the only two I know of that can melt her cold shell." Scooby looked at Luna questionably until she gave him a wink and looked over at shaggy.

Scooby nodded and pranced over to Dusk to make her feel a better. Luna watched as scooby rubbed his furry side against Dusk and she soon leaped out of her monk like state to greet the large teddy bear like great dane.

"Like, always knew she was a dog person." Shaggy said with a smile. "Yeah. She's an animal love, always has and always will." Luna remarked as she remembered the time when the her and the girls found a German Shepard puppy in their home town of oakhaven.

Before the Autumn fest, the witches ghost, and Karl. The Hex girls were walking to the local high school one faithful day and they were encountered by a ghost white German Shepard puppy. The girls took the puppy home where they spent the whole day playing hooky from school to take care of the pup. Dusk became so attached to the puppy that she almost ran away from home to keep the pup with them at the behest of , Luna and Dusk Surrogate father and thorn's blood father. They ended up keeping the dog and naming him Fritz. When the girls left on tour, Fritz stayed behind with . Dusk was a little heart broken when they left her 'Little fritz'er' at home. Scooby seemed to be her temporary replacement for the bright eyed and snow white Shepard.

As Luna and Shaggy began to get to know one another, Thorn and Claudia were busy at the front of the pack lighting the way. "Ms. Marlin," Thorn asked her before Claudia interjected. "Please Sally Mcknight, We all know each other. Please call me Claudia." Claudia said with a mildly creepy cajun tone as the sounds of chirping frogs ceased.

Claudia rose her hand into the air quickly and the herd of teens quickly came to a halt. Everyone looked at her with puzzling looks, "Claudia, what's going..." Thorn was quickly hushed by her 'Older half' as she thought of Claudia. All was quiet besides the faint breathing of the group and the fire of the oil lanterns.

Some electric breezed though the air and caused Claudia to dig her feet into the ground.

The Bleakness of the silence around them seemed to breath dismay on the necks of the party. Claudia took one, long, slow breath. "Never let the swamp know your fear... Never let the swamp know anything besides your grit."

The swamp water sloshed as a large gator shot out of the water with its massive jaws open wide to reveal bright yellow razor teeth reflecting off of the high cotton white mouth of gator. As if on command, Claudia took the gator by the under belly and plunged a large saw toothed bowie knife into the gators soft egg shell white belly. Claudia watched with sadistic enjoyment the blood and entrails of the gator covered her hands and poured into the ink black swamp water.

"Never turn your back for a moment..." Claudia said as she ripped the knife out of the gators stomach. The reptilian blood gleamed in the amber light of the oil lamps as she wiped the blood on to her pants. "But always show compassion, courtesy, and respect for the creatures that inhabit the waters of the swamp." She said as she turned the carcass of the gator on his back and pushed it into the shadows. She motioned a cross and spoke in cajun in a prayer as the hissing of cotton mouth vipers and gators as they began to devourer the body of the gator.

Thorn was puzzled with Claudia's response after slaying the gator with the large intimidating blade in her hand. 'How can someone who speaks of respect for the dead? Takes such enjoyment in slaying such a beast?' Thorn thought to herself as Claudia grinned as she cleaned the blade one more time before placing it back in the sheath.

Claudia looked disappointed as she looked at thorn and the rest of the gang. "I don't enjoy killing, but when done righteously, it's just a chore, like any other. This beast in no exception and she died with dignity none the less." Claudia replied as the last of the creatures took their final piece of the large gator. None of the party said a word as Claudia returned to the lead with thorn right by her side.

"Claudia... Whats... Whats going on?" Thorn asked Claudia with something that thorns voice has never spoken in the longest time, Innocents. Claudia gave a half hearted and quiet laugh, "What do you mean?" Claudia returned the innocents to thorn. "Giving Karl the boots, tracking him down, contacting us, and now this..."

Claudia looked over at her younger counter part, "I have my reasons Sally. I have my reasons for all of this." Claudia looked into the distance to see a faint light and the mellow tone of the cello echoed though the swamp.

'Closer... Closer... Closer...' A faint voice whispered. "Wwwhaa? Whaaaa? What was that?" The terror stricken hippy chattered in the dim light of the oil lamps. Claudia turned to the group with the fright in her eyes told them...

"The swamp... The swamp... We are coming closer to the home of Lord Cyrus Amsel himself..."


	10. Chapter 9- Morality is a Curse

_**Two days late, I know. I'm sorry my friends. But so far I hope this chapter makes up for it :) **_

_**Note: This chapter changes between the Party of 9, Karl, and the Ghosts of Cyrus and Ben. **_

_**Oh and Don't worry, I have plans for some of the party as well as a couple of twists to make it interesting...**_

_**With Love ~Dresner**_

* * *

I arise today  
Through a mighty strength:

God's power to guide me,  
God's might to uphold me,  
God's eyes to watch over me;  
God's ear to hear me,  
God's word to give me speech,  
God's hand to guard me,  
God's way to lie before me,  
God's shield to shelter me,  
God's host to secure me.

The prayer gave him strength and safe passage though the swamp, as did the angels of the oil lamps that gave him the amber light of the Deer trails that seemed to endlessly trek though this swamp. Ever since Karl and Dusk have been together they shared everything, almost like a married couple. But one thing that really tied the couple together was their belief in the Celtic Druidism. Dusk was more drawn to that of Celtic Wicca in respect for her sister Thorn, While Karl drew more toward a divide between the druid and christian elements of the celtic people. The two were united by their beliefs as well as their love for nature and each other, but kept it amongst themselves. Mainly Karl's usually secretive nature about personal matters such as his core beliefs and Dusk unwillingness to share anything beside to a select few.

Only in times of great distress and hopelessness did the two ever express or pray to the gods. This was one of those moments when the two needed the protection of a power higher than themselves...

The trails used by the local population of white tail and a newly introduced species of Swamp deer was a gift to him from nature. The trails cut through bogs like a knife and lead to various corners and hide aways for the does and fauns to take shelter in the thick cover of pine trees nears by. Some of the trails looked as if they were traveled by more than just the local game, some of the trails were man made as some of the trails were built , rather than formed, with dirt and chopped tree trunks for stability.

"These were made in hast... The war... Confederate Engineering Corps... Regiment Three..." The faint voice of Jonathan spoke to his ancestor. "Supple lines were cut because of union raiders... one of the reasons why we were sent here.. He-he, along with other obligations."

"What do you mean by 'Obligations?'" Karl asked him as his voice echoed though the bog. "You never 'filled' me on all the details regarding this 'Obligation', is all of our ancestor as vague as you?" Karl asked the voice of Jonathan. "He-He, not really. Some are open to people, others, like myself, are under oath not to speak of matters pertaining to the paranormal. You'll see..." Karl became agitated with the voice echoing though the confounds of his mind.

"Do you hear that Karl?" Jonathan asked him before Karl could scold him. "What are you..."

"Shut it! Listen for a change." The voice of Jonathan yelled as the sound of a cello echoed though the swamps. Bright lights could be seen in the distance and a string of smaller lights were traveling toward the faint amber light and the ghostly ballad of the cello.

"Cello... Like a sirens song it draws you in..." Jonathan's southern drawl became jittery and haunting as the sound of the cello grew louder and louder. "Zachary the strong... Iron Hearted Hall... The affluent ox hmmm'ed the melody till the very end... When we passed he awoke..." "If he was under the song, then way aren't I lost my mind?" Karl asked the ghostly voice in his head, before giving a sigh as Jonathan gave a little chuckle.

"How are you sure that I am not some tick, imaginations, or just the swamp fever taking your mind for a ride? He-Hee! You must be going mad, Karl." The eerie voice inside karl's mind clacked. "Couple of reasons Johnny boy, Only a member of the Dael family would be making jokes in a time of life or death. That is for sure. Second of all, I already aware of the distorted state of my mind... How do you think I haven't silenced you?" Karl called to the spirt of Jon.

"Never call me Johnny..."

* * *

The Party of nine of the Hex girls, Mystery incorporated, and Claudia trekked through the swamp with limited disturbances. Besides the usual cotton mouth viper or the rare alligator, the party set up a trail of oil laps along the Deer trails to guide their travel home safely. All but Claudia though that this was going to be a simple task of finding Karl, destroying the boots with the spirt inside, and going home to happily ever after.. But something about Claudia was giving off the feel that she knew more that she lead on and thorn was sure of it. Though the bush and moss of a tree line they came across a large crimson clay road leading though the swamp.

"Like It's... It's like in the story..." Shaggy shook as he and scooby jumped back into the brush to get off the road. "Come on you two, it's just a story." Velma said before turning to claudia with an unsure look. Claudia rolled her eyes and bent down to feel the red clay road. She took a hand full of clay and gridded it with her hand into a fin powder. The clay was dry and light even in the unceasing down pour. Claudia spoke in her native tongue and spread the powdered clay as she walked slowly down the road.

"You'll see madam dinkley... You'll see." Claudia spoke glacially as she turned her back on the gang. "Come... But be warned... Our time hear is thin as is his." Calm, ominous, and melancholy became the defiant tone for Claudia as they all stepped on to the Red clay road. Thorn, Dusk, and Luna took together in their trade mark line. But instead of the charismatic and confidant eco-goth rockstars of the tabloids and concerts, their were only shadows of the stars that once stood before crowds of millions.

Dusk was withdrawn to only a bare minimum of communication, only addressing with nods or grunts. Speaking prayers to keep her strength and hopefully her sanity from breaking as the stress and anxiety began to consume her. Losing Karl would be as worse as losing her sister or even worser than the fait of her mother...

Thorn still retained a fraction of her authority and confidence, but something was bothering the little wiccan girl. Something about Claudia, Karl, and this Legend seemed to be a little to go to be true. 'She gave him the boots, She tracked him down, and now She's leading us to him?' She would repeat to herself. This woman was odd... One moment she could be blissful and cheery, Cold and creepy, and then lost... Thorn was becoming the same way, but something else was... wrong, but she could not put her finger on it. Thorn was worried about her sister, Dusk, and her close friend Karl. She could feel the pain of her sister and possibly even Karl's as well, but the obsession of cracking this enigma dominated her thinking and the feeling of her sisters, for the first time, took the backseat.

Luna was shaken from the last few days of hell that Karl that thrown upon them. The distress and despair of Dusk coupled with Thorn's blindness to cut her losses and find another roadie to replace the half-witted fool Karl. All she wanted to do was go back to the bus and continue on with the tour like Thorn and her planned on.

'What am I saying?!' She thought to herself in shock as the realization of what transpiring in her thoughts began to become clear.

'Selfish... This... This isn't me...'

* * *

Lord Cyrus Amsel twirled his Ivory cain though the air like a cheerful school boy during the first day of summer as he calmly walked side by side with the stone like figure that Ben Ravencroft became as his new power began to root deep with in his mind and, what was left of it, his soul.

In the centuries leading up to the early 1500's, The Amsel family was infamous across Europe's religious and mystical circles for their taste for black magic and satanic rituals. The Amsel family soon came under the attention of the Royal families of prussia and the Church... The Amsel estate in east prussia was burned to the ground by Hessian mercenaries hired by leading members in the House of Hohenzollern and the Catholic church as a means of ending the rain of black magic in central europe.

The Amsel's soon drifted into obscurity and exile till the family resurfaced in england where their reputation preceded them greatly and soon the black hearts of the Amsel's found themselves amongst rather unlikely allies, The Puritans... Rapped in a cloak of lies, the flock of Blackbirds took to the colonies...

As the years past the family changed their surname to a more english oriented name of Ravencroft, but became factionalized and split between the brothers Erich and Ludvig. Erich abandoned the art of black magic after their sister, Sarah, was trapped by Wiccan warlocks in her Spell book. Erich demanded that the family cece the practice of Black magic or risk being reported to the Wiccan council and face a more grizzly fait than Sarah.

But Ludvig had other plans for his faithful brother... Ludvig reported his brother to the council and soon Erich took hast south to georgia and then to what became Louisiana some years later. Ludvig retained the name of Ravencroft, while Erich returned to his birth name of Amsel. When Erich died in 1805, the Amsel family kept the word of Erich... Till Cyrus discovered the secret of the Amsel family and their ties to the Massacres, mass burnings, and whole sale rape of the land by the hands of Sarah Ravencroft, His great aunt.

"Benny my boy, Why so melancholy?" The youthful Cyrus asked his descendant.

"I'm trapped in the confounds of the spirt world, Does that answer your question?" Ben snorted as Cyrus gave a jolly laugh as he twirled his cain. "Some what, but not entirely. Every day is a great and wonderful day! Embrace it Benny!" Cyrus said cheerfully as he span on his heel humming a jolly tone. Ben became annoyed and a little unnerved at the infinite pool of eerie happiness that Cyrus held with in him.

After his imprisonment by the Wiccan Mcknight and Sarah ravencroft, Ben struggle for his very existence. Sarah blamed him for her mistakes and began using Ben as target practice to pass the time in eternity. Ben retreated into the mists that surrounded their realm, In hopes of either a painless death or a way out of the hell he was forced to stay in. What he found in his journey past the fog laden current was the smiling figure of Cyrus Amsel.

Cyrus gave him the power of the swamp... The evil that lurked just below the black water... Cyrus promised ben power beyond all he could imagine if he joined him in his quest. Ben didn't care... All he wanted was out. Out of this hell... Out of the grip of Sarah ravencroft. Cyrus, being a salesmen of all things, gave ben a taste of the power he spoke of. That power came in the form of a vile... A vile of black mist with power unimagined power... The power changed him... He became... Hungry... Hungry for power.

"Tell me Cyrus, Are our friends close to your former residence?" Ben asked him, ignoring his playful nature. "Hmmmm... Let us see." Cyrus twirled his cain by the handle and a portal to the mortal world displayed the party of nine as they came closer and closer to the manor...

"I see they are closing in... How about the fish that got away?" Ravencroft asked him as he looked at his nemeses with nothing but content. "Karl and Johnny are hot on the trail, but Johnny is sticking back in the shadows to see how it all falls together.." Cyrus gave a laugh as he turned his attention back to the party of nine.

"Hmmm... I see a crack in the bond of sisterhood amongst the wiccans. The auburn haired angel... Her discontent radiates from her... As does her beauty." Cyrus said softly as he brought his focus on Luna. He gave a lustful sigh as he looked into her hazel eyes.

"Kimberley Luna Moss... You shall make a wonderful bride some day... But first I must see if your worth your beauty..."

* * *

Karl stepped out of the tree line and stepped onto the dusty red clay road. He held up his left hand to check for rain, but found that the rain had subsided, Thank god.

"To your left is where it all began, West to Amsel manor where the forsaken few were cast into the hands of the devil. To your right is the way out of the rabbit hole, Eastward home." The voice of Jonathan told him. As Karl looked down both sides of the road he brought his hands together

Give thou thine heart to the wild magic,  
To the Lord and the Lady of Nature,  
Beyond any consideration of this world.

Do not covet large or small,  
Do not despise weakling or poor,  
Semblance of evil allow not near thee,  
Never give nor earn thou shame.

The Ancient Harmonies are given thee,  
Understand them early and prove,  
Be one with the power of the elements,  
Put behind thee dishonor and lies.

Be loyal to the Lord of the Wild Wood,  
Be true to the Lady of the Stars,  
Be true to thine own self besides,  
True to the magic of Nature above all else.

Do not thou curse anyone,  
Lest thou threefold cursed shouldst be,  
And shouldst thou travel ocean and earth,  
Follow the very step of the ancient trackways.

"Those prayers of yours ain't from the King james bible, eh?" Jonathan asked him after he finished his prayer. "Doesn't mater where it's origins are from or are. What matters now is confronting your demon and saving my girls from that demon." Karl replied spitefully.

"Be careful Karl." Jonathan warned him as karl began to pick up the pace.

"Morality is a curse."


	11. Chapter 10: Two Steps from Hell

_**I'm proud to say that Dawn is coming together **_**_wonderfully :) _**

**_Soon my friends, Soon the Horror aspect will come. Just hold on for a day or so and I will have Chapter 11 up and posted. I promise :)_**

**_With Love, ~Dresner_**

* * *

Karl slowly walked down the clay road scanning the skies and tree lines out of habit to keep his whits about him. The rain disappeared from both side of the woods and the bright winter solstice stars appeared above to light his way, as did the full moon. Jonathan became silent as great grandson drew near his place of torment. Only the sound of his footsteps against the hard red clay could be herd around him, The absents of gurgle of frogs and the buzzing of mosquitoes put Karl on edge. Being a hunter as he is, the absents of sound, especially from that of frogs, was unnerving and a warning that something bigger than yourself was in the area. The most common was the alligator, but that was in the swamp, but the threats also came from the small populations of Black bear and Cougars that roamed the state.

But the lack of tracks and the rustle of brush was absent as well. Even the crafty cougar will make a mistake or the creatures in the trees will alert those near by of your or their presents. The bear is rather... Blunt in his approach and attack, their heavy breathing would alert any hunter who kept his guard and his cool. But whatever was stalking him wasn't of this world... He could feel it in the air and taste it in his jaws.

"We're close... I can feel it..." The monotoned, yet disheartening, voice of Jonathan said he appeared in full view of Karl. "He... He's hear... But something... Something isn't right... there is more than just him..."

"What do you mean more than just him? Is their something you left out of the explanation once again, Eh Jonathan?" Karl asked the grey coated visitant as they stood near a turn in the road. "Their are nine entities in the manor... Four are spiritual powered, the others are mortal-"

"Nine? Who are they?!" Karl demanded as he tried to grab the ghostly Jonathan before realizing that he was not of this world. "I can't identify the mortals, I know one is a K-9 of some large breed. But the spiritual enhanced are easy..." Jonathan said as he took his hand and placed it on the back of Karl's head. "You see what I see?"

Karl closed his eyes and soon saw though what appeared to be thermal like imagery. Everything around him was blue excepted for his body and the figures who were colored green. "Group of three are heading up the stairs, two are moving toward the kitchen, and the final four are heading toward the middle of the manor." Karl reported to Jonathan. "I see... Their looking for something... Where is the bastard?" Jonathan spoke as he searched the manor with his ora sense. "Wiccan, Celt, Pagan, and... What? Can't be her... Can't be..."

* * *

Thirty Minutes before-

"Here it is... Amsel manor..." Claudia said with exhausted relief as she removed her rain coat the threw it on the grounds in front of the manor. The manor was expansive, rivaling the homes of modern day millionaires and celebrities alike. The egg shell white coating was largely pealing, vines crawling on the corners and pillars like spiders, holes checkering the roof, and the sure signs of mother nature claiming this home as her own.

"This... This is where it all began..." Claudia said as she began inthralled with the decaying beauty of manor. She ran forward to the front door at full speed with the Girls and Gang right behind her, but soon found herself locked out of the abandon home. She breath heavily and her face became tense as she shook the door handle vigorously with both hands before banging and shrieking for the door to open.

"AMSEL! CYRUS AMSEL! I KNOW YOUR HERE!" She scream as she threw herself at the door with all her might. "Claudia! Chill!" Thorn yelled as she grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. "This home is abandon and the doors are rusted shut for all we know..." Thorn said lightly as soon the door began to open slowly. Each of the nine who entered the home could almost feel the energy around them... Like someone or something was watching them... Each could feel a light breeze along their necks and a slight chill as they stepped the thresh hold of the door and into the manor itself.

What they found was rather strange... The home appeared to be refurbished, the smell of freshly laid oak floor and lead paint gave away that this was all recent work. But was off set by dead leaves that seemed to prance around in the hallowed halls and the large amounts of dust and spiderwebs that blanked the furniture and the corners of the walls.

"Alright gang, we need to split up and look for any signs of... Uhhhh." Fred soon trailed off of thought as he forgot Karl's name. "Karl... Karl Dael... My Klokatier..." Dusk spoke for the first time out loud in hours since crossing the swamp. "Find him... Find him and bring him back... Back to me... Please." She begged in a quiet melancholy voice. Her quiet voice seemed to echo though the manor, 'Find him...'

"You, you with the ascot. Take the girl and the realist up to the second floor and search for anything worth noting. Diaries, artifacts, anything..." Claudia ordered to Fred, Velma, and Daphne. "Hippy and puppy dog, take toward the east wing and sweep the area for anything. Sally, Dusk, and Luna come with me and we will search the west wing." Claudia motioned their direction and order them to meet back at once if anything of interest has been found.

* * *

"So this is where started, eh?" Karl asked Jonathan as they stood in the driveway looking over the decaying manor.

"Welcome home Jonathan."

"Mmmmhmm, What a homecoming. She looked a lot better before Father time decided to beat the hell out of her." Jonathan remarked as he gazed over overgrowth on the pillars. "Victorian era... French architecture with germanic influences in the design of the pillars... Beautiful..." Karl remarked as he gazed in awe of the beauty of the manor.

Karl began to march toward the door, Jonathan placed his hand on karl's shoulder.

"Karl... I must be honest with you..." Jonathan spoke with the tone of a father talking to his son. "I did not expect that you would come with us to, rather you did not have a choice in the matter is a factor, but, regardlessly I'm proud to see that you came with me... Wither you want it or not, you are now committed to this undertaking." Karl turned to Jonathan and looked him in the eyes.

"If you wish to leave then..."  
"I'm tired of running..." Karl interjected, "Out of all the hardships and follies that have been my lot, I could only dream of responding with the thrust of the sword or the bullet of gun. But I only smiled and blamed myself, assuming that I was the cause of all my troubles. I watched as my family was torn to tatters by a wolf in sheep's clothing and scattered across the far corners of the continent. I lost everything to the Lockhart's more than once and my shafting from society. I just had enough of it all and even contemplated ending it all with the rope or the barrel of a gun... The injustice, the unfairness, and the tyranny of mind, body, and soul brought me to the brink more than once. But I could not bring myself to the deed, 'Your life belongs to your people and the moment of time you belong to, it is not yours to throw away.'

Those were the words of my father... That saying has rang though my ears since I was a young lad. But I wouldn't be human if I didn't contemplate the idea of ending it all... I'm lucky to know that their are people and forces greater than I that would even take a moment of their time to give me another change at life... That is what I taught Muffy and that is what Sally proved to me. Without those Girls, I would have gave up this struggle earlier. But, like you said 'Morality is a curse'."

"The words of a man never sounded so true." Jonathan responded with a small tear of joy down his ghostly cheek. Jonathan extended his arm to Karl and the two shook hands before opening the large wooden door to the emptiness of Amsel Manor.

The Banshee screams of young girl obliterated the silence of the abandoned manor...

"Dusk!"


	12. Chapter 11: Dog in the Boiler

_**Its been a while my friends, I know. But in the world of Dresner, there are some very good things going on in my life right now that have taken up my time lately. But I Promise that I will be posting the next chapter in the next couple of day. This Chapter is very dark, long, and will bring the Horror part of this fanfic together **_**_perfectly._**

**_WARNING!: THIS CHAPTER WILL UNNERVE FANS OF SCOOBY DOO, PLEASE READ WITH CAUTION_**

**_DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING_**

**_With love~ Dresner_**

* * *

Karl ran toward the screaming coming from down the hall at breakneck speed, slamming into the decaying walls and rotten doors toward the echoes of the screams. "I'm coming baby girl! I'm coming!" Karl shouted as ran down another hallway with Jonathan in close pursuit. The sound of fierce struggle racked though the walls and dust feel upon karl as he drew closer to the infinite screaming. "Karl! Hold on damn it! Let me check-"

The crack of a big bore rifle broke karl's cry's for his love. "Karl!" Jonathan shouted as his ghostly presents dashed to aid his fallen comrade. "Karl?!" He shouted as he reached Karl. "Holy fuck that scared the hell out of me!" Karl shouted as he turned on to his back and franticly ran his hands across his body. "Oh... Oh my... Oh my god.. Ha-Ha!" The idiotic laugher of relive warmed the spirt, but soon was replaced by the sound of lament filled cries and the smell of freshly burned gunpowder. Karl's express turned grave as he struggled to his feet to a near by door, but feel onto his hands and knees in front of the door. Leveling his eyes to the door lock he could see a figure in a leather coat stand perfectly still with a ragged and beaten rifle in hand sobbing quietly over something on the floor.

Karl could feel something touching his fingers and hands near the crack of the door. It was warm and sticky, almost like tree sap, but soon the metallic scent of blood gave away the identity of the liquid. Karl looked at his palms in horror, and became white hot with rage and a blood filled howl let out of Karl's heart.

Charging though the door like a mad man, breaking down the door without cavil. Splinters and rotten wood flew though the air around him and the figure. The Figure turned around quickly, swinging the butt of the Henry repeater toward his face. But karl dodged the swing and took advantage of the figures sloppy strike as the figure overshot her attack.

Karl took advantage of the amateur's swing and spun the figure around, grabbing the rifle by the stock and barrel, pining his opponent against a rotten wall with the henry. The figure spoke in a familiar tone, "Go to fucking hell you demon fuck!" The figure screamed in a fierce animalistic cry.

"Dusk?!" Karl shouted in astonishment. "Karl?!" She shouted back in disbelief as the two let go of the ancient repeating rifle as it dropped to their feet. The two lover embraced each other in uncontrollable passion as the blood, mud, and soaked bodies of Karl and Dusk held each other tightly against one another as their lips met each other for the first time in days. The two couldn't control the tears of sorrow and glee fell from their eyes and left off of their cheeks on to the rifle at their feet.

"You bastard! You worthless, black hearted bastard!" Dusk shouted as she pushed her face away and smacked Karl across his face with her palm before returning to the kiss until the final ounce of air was drained from her lungs. "Why?! Why did you leave?!" Dusk demanded as she held Karl tightly, cursing lightly as she spoke in almost a loud whisper. Karl whispered in her ear, "I didn't have a choice in the matter..." before Dusk interjected harshly. "What do you mean you didn't have a fucking choice?! You could have left those worthless boots to that creepy bitch and none of this would have happened!"

"What do you mean, Stuck in a manor in the middle of a demonic swamp and chasing me across three states or finding me inhabited by some kind of visitor?" Karl asked her sarcastically as she slaps him again in anger at his lack of seriousness. "EVERYTHING! Everything you selfish prick!" she screamed in rage filled sorrow, throwing her fist against his chest.

Karl closed his eyes and saw her ora... It was red... This... This wasn't Dusk... He pulled her chin to him and looked into her eyes to see that he irises were not the gleaming, overconfident, twinkle filled eyes that he adored to no end. Her lips did not bare the two tone black and green lip stick, nor did she wear the celtic cross around her neck...

"Liar... Charlatan!" The tortured voice of Claudia shouted to the figure. "She...Ahhugh! That is not your woman!" The figure smiled darkly and her teeth became like that of the local alligator. The sadist look on her face as her smile threw Karl into a furious rage. He threw her off of him and threw the henry into his hands with his feet.

"Doppelganer..." Claudia whispered.

His fiery rage was dowsed with cold determination as he looked into the cold and hunger filled eyes of the creature as the once beautiful hands of Muffy became sharpen claws made out of bone and her teeth growing larger as did the sadists smile. "Muffy?" He asked coldly as his grip on henry rifle grew tighter and tighter as the adrenaline pumped through his veins. The Doppelganer closed her eyes and closed her smile as Karl lifted the muzzle of the rifle to her head. "Muffy..."

The creator let out a ear piercing screech with a stream of slobber flew from the jaws of the Doppelgänger and on to the walls and Karl's body. The lever actioned Henry cycled perfectly as karl's hand moved with lightening speed to load another shell into the chamber. As quickly as the hammer locked into position it flew forward and the .44 Henry rimfire round smashed into the face of Doppelgänger Dusk, blood painting the egg white and torn wallpaper crimson red. Smoke from the black powder filled the air along with the stench of death and iron.

Breathing heavily from the shock of the encounter, Karl starred at the lifeless body of the Doppel Dusk as it soon lost the pale slender figure of his baby girl to reveal a small, grey, hunch backed creature. Karl loaded another shell into the breech and fired again into the demon's skull in a blood rage before Jonathan called him off to tend to the bleeding gypsy woman.

"The girls and I..." Claudia groaned as Karl put pressure on the gun shot wound seeping blood out of her stomach to stop the bleeding. "The girls and I were separated by... By the darkness... Amsel... He took the girls... But I though I found Muffy but she... But she was... Impostor.. He-He-He" The idiotic laugher of someone at their last leg signaled the closure of near death.

"She ambushed me... Fucking coward! Ahhugh! Shot me in the stomach... Cruel bitch..." She yelled as she began to cough blood on to his fleece jacket. "Karl, I took a sweep of rooms near by..." Jonathan piped up, "Anything?" Karl asked him.

"Not a soul... But there is some traces of life near the Northwest passage, near the dinning hall."

"That... Ahhugh! Forget those fucking kids... You need to.. to.. to find those girls... they are... the key...Go!" Claudia screamed with her last ounce of life before she passed over into the spirt world. Karl could only look over the body of Claudia with the look of pity for her, yet could not help but question why she was here in the first place.

Karl could see a striking resemblance of Sally Mcknight in the passing claudia. Her flat iron black hair, Alluring green eyes, and ghostly white complexion gave the impression that Claudia and Sally were related some how, or just another fangirl of the 30 and up age group.

"Come on... I know where he is... Lets end this." Jonathan insisted as Karl sat on his knees with the look of an detective. Karl bit his lip and brought his hands together in a pyramid shape as he began to think. As Jonathan began to walk to the door leading out of the room, Karl took up the war weary Henry rifle in his hands and loaded another round into the chamber.

"Morality is a curse, Karl..." Jonathan told him as Karl walked out of the door toward the northwest corner.

"So is cowardice." Karl replied.

The floors creaked with every step as his hob nail boots clicked and clacked on the hard wooden floors. Karl finally took the time to notice the scenery around him. Everything was new... The floors, the paint, and even the furniture, but everything was covered in thick layers of dust and cobwebs. It just didn't make any sense, why would an abandon manor need such luxuries?

Crossing through a large dinning hall, karl gave the look of intrigue to see a large wooden table dinning table with all, but two of the chairs cover in cobwebs and inch thick dust with nothing but simple candle light to light the room.

Two spots of the table were sloppy dusted by hand and what appeared to be a paw of a large dog. Old plates were scattered around the two spots and were covered in food scraps and chicken bones. Grease from the chicken pooled on parts of the table near the plates and the reminds of the scraps were scattered on the floor as well. Strangely their were not any for of sliver wear or even napkins, besides wash rags to substitute them.

"Do they even teach your generation any form of etiquette or even basic table manners in your century?" Jonathan asked in insult at the mess that was made on the table.

Karl gave a light chuckle, "Only in small circles..." Karl began to examine some of the choices of food with a rather questionable gaze. "Who ever this guy is, His choice of food is bordering between that of a king and a hog. Who lets a dog eat at the fucking table?" Jonathan remarked with disgust as more traces of gluttony appeared around them.

"Shhh..." Karl hushed him as a strange banging and a faint growl took their attention. "It's coming from the kitchen..."

Karl placed the rifle against his shoulder as he came to the doorway leading into the kitchen. The faint growl became louder and louder as he took to the wall for cover from the open door way.

"Come out... Come out... Come out where ever you are... You can't hide from me Norville Rogers... He-He-He." A distorted unworldly voice said as the sound of paws and claws tapped across the wooden floor.

Karl peered around the corner to see a large brown great dane with a teal collar around his neck pacing around the kitchen, sniffing around the floor and cabinets. The hound was familiar to Karl, as was the name he called out. But before a thought could be formed, the hound let out a devilish and soul shattering howl and the sound of shattering wood and metal rang though his ears.

"Zoniks! Scoob! What are you doing!?" The scream of a hippy took Karl's attention.

The hound only laughed and more sounds of struggle followed. Karl lunged from the cover of the wall with rifle at the ready, The sight of the large, demon infused, and mange ridden mutt devouring the oak cabinets that separated him and the petrified hippy. The tale and hippy was crawling away in terror at the horrid hellhound as it tore though the cabinets that the hippy took refuge in from the horror.

Karl fired his rifle and the hellhound was thrown against the cabinets as the .44 caliber slug broke through its hip. The hound turned his attention to Karl and flashed its shark like yellow teeth. The burning, remorseless, and soulless red eyes shook Karl to the core of his being, but did not lose his nerve as the hound lunged at him at full force. Throwing himself on top of karl and his jaws around the henry rifle.

Slobber, blood, and the smell of death poured out of the mouth of the hellish K-9. Its head was torn and showed small amounts of bone, bring the terror of the beast together in a stark beauty that Karl could not help but admire.

"Get off of him!" The hippy yelled before striking the beast with a door from one of the destroyed cabinet doors. The hippy attacked the beast till Karl gained enough leverage to throw the dog over him with his legs and fire two shots before the beast ran away into the shadows of Amsel manor's labyrinth of corridors and hallways.

In the fury of the melee between the two men and the hellhound, the two managed to take the time for an introduction or two. "God damn that has to be one of the worse cases of mange in the history of history!" Karl said with a dark laugh. The hippy gave a sad laugh with tears come from his eyes... "That... That was my best buddy in the world... Now, like, look at him..." The hippy said as he looked down to see the collar of his once faithful companion laying in a pool of blood. The tears in his eyes dropped into the pool and soon turned to steam as they made contact.

'Blood of a demon can not stand up to the tears of the pure.' Jonathan remarked as the tear drop boiled the blood of the hellhound and the smell of iron fell into the air once more.

"That wasn't a hound or your buddy, look at the blood on the floor. Your tears are boiling it. Those eyes must have proven something to you!" Karl stated to the ignorance of the hippy. "Like how do you know?!" He shouted to him.

Karl drew in on the hippy and got right into his face, "Because of two things, bud. One, A dog would never turn on its master unless he's a cold hearted bastard, and you my friend couldn't harm a fly let alone drive a hound to turn on you. Second, Dogs can't take three shots from a .44 and run away so easy!" Karl spoke to him in a low, but respectful tone. "A dane is not an aggressive breed, nor is any breed of hound with proper training. I should know, my friend," Karl said as he took out his wallet and pulled a picture of him as a young lad with two Black and tan German Shepard's at his side. "I've grown up with dogs my whole life. I share and understand the bond."

"Tell me, when did your companion turn rogue?" Karl asked him as he put his wallet in his pocket and checked the tubular magazine of the henry. "Shit, six rounds." Karl remarked as he shouldered the rifle.

The hippy stuttered as he began to recounted the moments leading to the attack,

"Like, Their scoob and I were looking for clues like fred told us to do. So we, like, start looking for things but we got side tracked and we found the kitchen. Scooby and I started digging though the cabinets looking for something to chow down on, but we found nothing. So scooby went to the pantry and I stayed and started to make a plate of beans to go with whatever scooby found and then... Then... He turned into... into.. that thing..." The hippy began to sob and cry as he fell to his knees and began to throw his fists against the wooden floors and curse the world.

Karl could feel his pain, apathy as to be a curse as well, but karl could not help but harden himself to the sadness and grief. He let out his hand to the hippy as the sound of the sobbing began to warm the cold blood in his veins.

"Come... We can find your comrade..." Karl told the hippy. The hippy looked with tears in his eyes as the tall figure with a rifle on his back and the look of determination in his eyes.

"My name is Karl, what about you? What's your name, my friend?"

The hippy cleared the tears from his eyes and took karl's hand as a sign of trust, "Shaggy, Ha-ha." The hippy laughed nervously as Karl picked him off of the ground and back to his feet.

* * *

Shaggy and Karl were polar opposites in every manner, but seemed to bond as comrades of circumstance. Both of the men lost someone near and dear to them, Karl lost Dusk and Shaggy lost Scooby, but both found the courage with in one another to go out into the unknown of the amsel manor with a demon of some kind loose in the shadows. The two were lucky to have Jonathan as a guide though the manor, but shaggy began to become ever more unnerved and fearful of both the ghostly jonathan and the mortal Karl.

Shaggy may not of have know Karl as a person before his possession, or spiritual alliance or what ever you want to call it, but he could see a good man behind the tattered clothing, blood stained skin, and the old rust covered rifle. Something was telling him that Karl could be trusted and not corrupted, or whatever happened to scooby doo. But he wasn't so sure about Jonathan... Jonathan seemed sketchy and more or less hiding something from them. But Shaggy was afraid to say anything in the presents of Jonathan in fear of retribution from the spirt and his power.

"Shaggy, I must ask. Besides you, Claudia, and my girls, is their more?" Karl asked him as the two crossed over into the Northeast wing of the manor where they soon found a great library were a few makeshift beds and cots were set up, along with curtains set up around some of cots as makeshift stations for surgery. Everything seemed to be untouched by time as the smell of fresh blood was still in the air, as was the echo of the screams of the wounded and mad.

"Yeah, Theirs Velma, Fred, and Daphne. Velma must be in this place, I'm sure of it!" Shaggy said confidently, before the spirt of Jonathan appeared in front of them.

"This is where Doctor Jackson took care of the wounded men. Some of them shot one another in confusion, some shot themselves, some... well... some began lost themselves and began to scream uncontrollably till their vocal cords gave out and soon a slow death from lack of oxygen due to lack of breathing." Jonathan explained with a heavy heart as he ran his hand across the blood stained cots. "Doctor Jackson spent all of his time in this library treating the men. He was one of the last to go..." A small ghost tear fell from his eyes and on to the cot. There on the table sat another ghostly figure with a long black and white haired beard with piercing blue eyes and a blood stained medical apron.

The ghost looked up at Karl and Shaggy, "When we came across the manor, I came to the library in hopes of finding a map or at least a few books for my medical profession." The spirt of explained.

"The swamps are, He-he, a little unforgiving with its various diseases and venomous reptiles. So a book or two on treatment of such wounds would have helped! Lord Amsel spoke of his vast collection of literature from his family in europe and their travels across the world, but I was only expecting at least a book case! Hall ordered that the library to be converted into a hospital for the wounded men that were expected to come once the army marched into baton rouge... But then the scream started... Everything fell apart... The men began to shoot each other, shoot themselves, or just run to the farthest end of the manor and scream till they passed out. It... It became to much!" The spirt began to scream, a large framed Colt navy revolver appeared in his hand and he began to brandish it as he spoke with his hands.

"The screaming... The horrid endless screaming... The., laughing... He-he... that laughing.. I had to..." The spirt began to smile the mad mans grin and looked at the revolver fondly. "I refused to let that demon take my sanity..." The spirt put the pistol to his temple and fired.

Shaggy stood motionless as the spirt of the doctor turned to mist and a light breeze whisked him away into oblivion. "Wha.. whaa.. What was... What was that?" Shaggy asked Karl as his mind tried to process all that had transpired. "You ever placed a CD into a CD player and it would only read a part of the song?" Karl asked shaggy in a attempt to explain. Shaggy nodded and Karl continued.

"Then it would play that one part over and over again, like someone broke the repeat button. This known in the spirt world as well, The souls of men, as well as animals, can be trapped between are world and the spirt world. They are trapped here... Forever."

"But... But... But what if we..." Shaggy stuttered. "Being cynical never helped anyone." Karl interjected as the sight of dim lamp light caught his attention. The two walked cautiously towards the light and to their surprise their was a young woman dressed in orange with black framed glasses sitting in a wooden chair combing her way though volume after volume of journals, biographies, and leather backs for clues.

"Velma.. Is... Is that... Is that you?" Shaggy asked the girl in orange in a high pitch voice like a mouse.

"Jinkies!" The girl shouted as she jumped to her feet in surprise. She threw up her hands when she saw the gun in Karl's hands and shouted 'Jinkies' once more before shaggy calmed her down and explained that Karl was friendly.

Karl laughed once everything was sorted out and introduced himself to Velma. "Your karl? I was expecting someone more..."

"Gothic or vampiric? Nah, But I am savvy in mystical and spiritual matters like they are." Karl interjected with a smile as he introduced himself to Velma like a gentleman. "Well yes, but in all do respect their seems to be more of a mystery here than a search. Take a look at these journals I found." Velma stated as they moved toward the table she sat at. "These journals are dated to men who were apart of Forsaken Few..." Karl said as Velma began to read a loud.

"August 1862-

Ever since we entered the manor, everyone became hostile and at one another throats... Private Canes was the first to go. Hung himself in one of the bed rooms... Strange because he always seemed to be one of the most lively, but to resort to suicide is an immortal sin in the eyes of the lord. spoke of some kind of 'Holy objective' here and said that our recon of the area was only secondary to the main objective. Something about 'Closing a Gate' of some kind. Kind of strange since this place doesn't have no gates of any kind. But I guess I better talk to him some more before anything happens.

Lance Corporal Anderson, 4th Alabama."

"Gate? Like what kind of gate?" Shaggy asked as Velma found another page from a journal and Karl son pointed out the name to be that of Sgt Hollister, one of adjutants to Lt. Hall.

"August 1862-

Damn him, Damn that fool and damn jonathan too! Those sons of bitches have doomed us all bring us hear! Now all but Me, Hall, Dael, and Doctor jackson are alive. Everyone is dead because of that fucking gate keeper and his..."

The sound of growling and the appearance of a pair soulless red eyes in the shadows, "Lovable hound from the darkest pit of hell... How grand is it to read the words of a dead man?" The distorted voice of the Hellhound spoke as the red eyes began to pace in the shadows. "What in the hell..." Velma shouted as she jumped out of her chair and into the arms of shaggy. "He-He-He, Just like old times... Eh, Raggy? Ha-ha-ha-ha!" The demonic cackles of the hound filled the room. "That... Thats.. Scooby!" Velma shouted. But Shaggy and Karl stood fast and held their ground as the demon taunted them further.

"Not even close... Your friends said the same thing..." The demon replied with a smile as the sight of a large row of shark like yellow teeth glowed in the shadows. A blood covered orange ascot slid across the floor and stopped at shaggy's feet. Their faces turned pale as they saw the blood on the ascot began to pool around the ascot. The hound soon came out of the shadows with a green blood stained ascot and orange hair hanging out of his mange covered jaws.

"They didn't see it coming... 'Oh Scooby, their you are!'" The hound chuckled, mimicking the voice of a young girl. "'Oh Daphne no! No! Daphne'" The beast mimicked the voice of a man and laughed maniacally as it began to pace side to side with out taking its eyes off of its prey. Karl drew a beed on the hound with the rifle as the dog began to move slowly close toward them, it's arrogant demonic laugher echoing through the library around them.

'The... The laughter... The horrid laughter...' The terrified voice of Dr. Jacksons whispered in the air around them. The hound growled as Karl attempted to loaded the rifle, but the lever jammed and karl struggled to close the action. The dog paused and turned to the trio with the sadistic yellow toothed and blood stained smile. "You should have taken care of your rifle, Solider boy!" The hound screeched as he leaded back and pounced like a hungry timber wolf on its prey. The Hound over shot Karl and charged toward Velma and shaggy with his jaws spewing slobber into the air.

"VELMA!" Shaggy shouted as he threw her from his arms as the Hellhound pouched on top of him and threw themselves into the table behind them. Shaggy screamed as the flesh was torn from his body by the hound, who was enjoying the sadist pleasure of his screams.

"Run!" Karl yelled as he pulled Velma by the arm as they ran away. "Shaggy!" Velma screamed as they ran down the hallway toward the front door of the manor. "Come on! He's finished! We got to move!" Karl shouted as the sound of claws against the wooden floor began to catch up with them. Velma fought Karl to go back for shaggy, but after the last of the screams ceased she followed Karl past the living room and toward the front door.

"Almost... There!" Velma shouted as the light of the moon illuminated the front door though the large plain glass window above.

"NOOOOOO!" A pain stricken voice yelled as a large door flew open and the two were thrown through the door and down a flight of stairs. The two rolled down the stairs till they finally reached the bottom of the flight of stairs, hitting the wall of the stone walled basement below the manor. The basement was warm and the hissing and cracking of a large furnace used for burning trash was still well and alive.

As the two were piled on top of one another, The faint sound of laughter could be herd above them as the red eyed mutt and its rows of yellow teeth glowed in the darkness of the basement. "Awww, Did you fall down? Hmhmmm..." The Hound chuckled as the door slammed behind him as the tapping of his claws against the wood began to muffle his insane laughter.

"The laughing... That insane laugher... It.. It... MAKE IT STOP!" Velma screamed as she covered her ears with her hands and closed her eyes, but the laughing only became louder and louder as the hound closed in. Karl forced the action on his rifle to work and fired two quick rounds out of the rifle before the hellhound tumbled down the stairs like a rag doll.

The laughing ceased and the corps of the hound laid motionless at the foot of the stairs, blood running down the final stair like a waterfall and seeping into the dirt floor.

"Is it... Is it over?" Velma asked fearfully as the two stared at the body of the dead hound. "It's never over..." Karl replied as he turned his back to the body of the dead dog and moved toward the furnace. The door to furnace was open and the sight of fresh timber in the fire bothered Karl, 'Why was this thing even on in the first place? This place looks as if no one has lived here in centuries, yet it has gone though a total remodel!' He thought to himself as he placed the rifle against the side of the furnace and warmed his hands against the fire. The cold winters night took all of the blood out of his hands leaving them numb and Karl never had a chance to take a breather to warm his body. The fire was a welcoming sight, but the stench of death killed the moment of rest for Karl.

Velma on the other hand was losing herself in the horror and curled into a ball near the calm and collective, and blood covered, Karl as he ran his warm hands threw his hair as he cussed the wind for not having a cigarette to enjoy in this brief pause. The nonchalant appearance of karl scared Velma, In her years of solving mysteries ranging from simple cooks in masks to real monsters and ghosts, She had never seen someone with the attitude like karl's. He seemed to not to care about anything around him, even death, but the look of determination in his eyes strangely put her at ease.

"Karl?" She asked him as he put his hands between his arm pits to warm them.

"Yes?" He replied as he turned to addresser.

"I must asked, what drove you to come here? I mean, from what the Hex girls have told us, you were given those boots from Ms. Marlin and then you went insane. I refuse to believe that this is because of paranormal force, as she explained, but after what happened to scooby..."

"That isn't your Dog... That's the beast that drove my men to the acts of murder as purification and suicide as salivation from the madness around them." The ghostly figure of Jonathan answered. Velma jumped to her feet in shock and backed into karl. "Whaaa... What?!" She responded. Jonathan chuckled, "Velma you surprise me, You've seen the intangible before. One of Amsel's decedents in the north and the Lenoir estate south of the mason-dixon line. You know that powers beyond your worlds science exists, yet you refute it as cons and charlatans... Ignorance is bliss my dear..." Jonathan remarked hostilely before turning his attention to a wall.

"Come on... We don't have much time before the keeper opens the door..." Said the spirt as he passed through the wall followed by the harmonic sounds of a trio of beautiful voices began to sing in tandem a harmonious melody. Karl ran to the wall and threw himself against it with his ear close to the stone to hear the voices.

"Its... Its them! Its the Girls!" He shouted with joy as their voices returned something to him that seemed to have died as soon as this journey had began... Hope. Karl began to bang on the door and kick it violently, like an trapped animal trying to escape a cataclysm, to get to his girls. "Dusk! Thorn! Luna! I'm coming! I'm coming for you!" Karl shouted and he pounded the wall with his fist. Velma took to her feet, "Hold on," She said as she pulled karl away from the wall and tapped her knuckles against the wall. "Its hollow! Its a secret door!" She shouted.

"Find a way to open it! Come on lets go!" Karl barked as he hit the door one more time before the two began looking around the basement for a lever or something to open the passage. The two felt around the walls for a lever or a key to open the hidden door, but to no avail. "Damn it..." Karl remarked as he returned to the furnace. His hands were doused in blood and mud from the walls and the hell he has experienced, His jacket and jeans were ripped and torn from thorns, his face cut by briars with dried blood marked on his cheeks, but the boots were spotless and still retained their shine in the light of the fire.

Velma on the other hand was in much better condition then her comrade of circumstance with her orange and red out fit still in flawless condition, with only a couple of drops of blood to soil it. Her heavy framed glasses were cracked near the arms from constant dropping, but were still of use.

"There has to be a way to open that door, or at least open it." Velma said as she leaned against the furnace. She turned to karl, "Karl, what is all of this about?" She asked him with a concerned look on her face.

"I Don't know." Karl told her as he gave a long sigh before he reached for the Henry rifle and checked the magazine. "Four bullets... Three in the tube one in the chamber..." Karl sighed as he gripped the beaten rifle in his hands.

"Stop him..." The wind whispered before the sound of growling and breaking bones startled the two. The body of the Hellhound stood near the back of the room and let out one last defiant howl before charging toward the reminding heroes. Karl turned and aimed his rifle at the hound, but something threw off his aim as a large brown blur knocked him over on his side and attacked the hellhound in a melee of loud feral barks, hellish cries, and blood spatter. Velma tried to get up and aid the other dog with the fight against the fiendish devil dog, But Karl grabbed her and demanded that she stay down till the fight was over.

The hounds scratched, bit, and clawed one another on hind legs while Karl and Velma could only lay in horror at what unfolded in front of them.

"Scooby..." She whispered as the hounds came into the light of the fire.

Velma broke out of karl's grip and rushed to the aid of the gangs beloved mascot as he fought with the Hellish doppelgänger. But soon the two K-9's over powered one another and lost there balance and throwing one another into the furnace...

Along with Velma...

Their screams and howls forced Karl to close the door to the furnace and listen to the sound of their screams as they burned... Closing the door with a large lever, Karl could feel the banging of the three figures as they tossed and turned in the fire. Tears ran down his eyes as he held the lever down harder and harder...

The final bang rang through his ears and Karl opened the door to the furnace to see the chard bodies of the trio. He felt worthless...

How could he, of all people, close the door on those three?

To let them roast to death like a turkey on a rotisserie?

He fell to his knees and began to vomit on the floor till there was nothing left but air and bile. Karl yelled at the top of his lungs in a profane burst of hatred for everything around him... This... This manor...

This home...

This horrid place was evil...

Pure evil...

Driving men to commit acts not seen by man since the beginning of time and Karl was now apart of that evil.

"Stand up, my boy." A voice told him.

As karl looked up from his pit of self pity and hatred, He saw a pair of sparkling dress shoes and the slender bottom of a black cain. The figure wore a black suit with a red rimmed top hat and a Ivory cain in his hand. "Your stronger than that, Both I and Jonathan know this." The figure said and he kneeled down to face the shaken karl.

"The three of us did not drag you hear because of your self pity for only a small act of violence or murder. You dragged yourself here at the hast of a vengeful spirt. You did not want to come here, nor did the party of nine. But Jonathan wanted you here... You are only his lackey and we both know this. So why Karl? Why haven't you ran away, just as they did all those years ago? Why Karl?"

Karl pulled himself to his feet and dusted the dirt off of his cloths. "I'm tried of running away, I refuse to run." Karl said defiantly as his body shook from a sudden rush of courage raced though his body as he looked into the eyes of the devilish gentleman in front of him.

The gentleman gave a large smile and put his long pale hand on karl's shoulder, "Jonathan was right about you... I hope that you will some day end my life, but we'll see." The figure then walked away from Karl and tapped his cain on the ground a couple of times till the floor rocked to life and the large hidden door opened. The figure walked through the door twirling the cain by the handle and whistling a jolly tune as he strolled though the open door way.

"Oh and be careful of the catacombs, some might become lost in the darkness. But I will make sure you do not become lost." The figure said cheerfully as he snapped his fingers and a long line of pitch covered torches came a lit.

Only the sounds of his whistling could be herd as karl stood motionless, "Find him..." The voice of a woman whispered. "Destroy him... Destroy him before the evil is released... Destroy him." The voice whispered.

Karl turned to his rifle as it laid against the now decommissioned furnace and with hast grabbed the rifle and charged though the door way and into the unknown that laid in store for him.

"Gods speed Karl... Gods speed..."


	13. Chapter 12: Alone, But Not Forgotten

_**Yes, it has been a couple of day so I stayed up late to finish Chapter 12. A shout out to a guest named Ali and someone else who did not leave a name for giving a review, Thank you. Don't worry everything, including why Karl refers to the Hex girls as 'His girls', will be explained in the next chapter. **_

**_Thank you for the reviews and the views as well :) Please review or PM me anytime :)_**

**_With Love ~ Dresner_**

* * *

The tunnel grew cold and the crackling of the pitch and tar rapped torches were the only sound that could have registered with Karl ears. The screams of Velma and the pain stricken howl's of the Hounds cooking to death in the fires of the furnace haunted him and echoed through the depths of his mind, tormenting him with every step and every crackle of the burning torches.

The tunnels were held together by large beams ranging from heavy oak beams to rusty iron girders covered in a thick coating of rust and soot from burning coal or wood. The roof above was rather odd combination of swamp trees, roots, harden clay, and rock that gave off of the impression of a harden concert or stone. The floor was moist and muddy with small puddles of undisturbed, coffee colored, swamp water doting the poorly lit path though the tunnel. The walls were lined with hard stone and crudely laid brick, as if it was laid by slave or child labor, but, nevertheless appeared to be stronger than they looked.

'These tunnels must be access tunnels for the Catacombs.' Karl thought to himself as he looked around at the cobbled tunnels. Some the tunnels looked freshly dug, while others looked as if they were here for centuries. The torches were held to the large wooden posts by holders made of human and animal skulls fashioned together with string and hair. Faint whispers could be herd through the tunnel as his faint steps began to be muffled by the puddles of swamp waters that dotted his path. The water was strangely warm in the chilly condition of the tunnel and karl gave a brief reprieve from the cold once more.

He wishes to sit near a campfire or even a crude oil drum full of burning wood to warm his hands and blood once more. To stand side by side with the stage crew, his friends, his girls, or just a couple of strangers to keep him company and joke with. He dreams of playing his six string in the light of the flame, to sing with joy in his heart once more.

To be with his girls again...

To have her at his side...

To have Dusk in his arms once more...

He was alone in these tunnels...

In these catacombs...

As he continued on, He took out his lighter and began to search the darkness of the outer walls and to his surprise he found small openings covered with rotten wood. Through the cracks he could see brief shadows of bones and faint scent of decaying flesh. 'These were the catacombs that the man spoke of.' He thought to himself as he pushed on. More of these openings appeared, but some were covered with heavy iron doors and engraved with various names from the Amsel family with their date of birth and death. More of these tombs began to appear with the same magnificently painted and engraved black and gold iron doors that covered them, but the names were not that of the Amsel's.

"Eric Hollister... Edward Jackson... Zachary Hall?" Karl whispered as he began to read off the names of some of the specially covered tombs.

"These... These men..." Karl soon froze as the click of the hammer of a revolver sent ice coursing through his body. "Never turn your back, Karl..." The soft voice of a woman told him. Karl slowly turned toward the voice and soon found himself staring at the heavy frame of a Colt Navy revolver as it glistened in the light of the torches. The pale feminine hand was rapped firmly around the handle of the pistol and shined just as bright as the polished steel of the Colt. Karl could only close his eyes, He knew he was trapped. His rifle was on his back and not in his hands, he could not have had not even a second to reach for his weapon before she would fire her pistol.

She pulled the trigger and a magnificent fireball burst out of the muzzle of the pistol. Karl expected to feel the blunt strike and tearing of the lead ball against his skin, but openned his eyes to see that in the cloud of black power smoke he was still in one piece. He turned around and using the light of his zippo, He found the corpse of another Doppelgänger behind him, but this one the form of himself...

"Feel lucky that I can tell the difference between truth and lies... And that my aim hasn't fade over the years." The voice said calmly. Karl turned around quickly and took the Henry off of his back, but was met once again with the smoking barrel of the colt. The feminine figure stepped into the light of the torches, Her pale skin gleaming in the light and her green eyes seeming to cut through his soul.

"Sally... Sally is that you?" Karl asked breathlessly as he lessened his stance and took a more friendly attitude in place of the cold outer shell he has become accustom to. The figure smiled and shook her head. "Karl, your flattery has no end does it?" She giggled, "But I think my current appearance mirrors more of my daughter than I, Here let me remind you." The woman then placed her hand over Karl's eyes began to hum a short, but sweat, song before removing her hand.

Like a swift dumbfounding smack to the face, Karl became white with shock and confusion. "Claudia!?" He gasped as he shouldered his rifle in response. But Claudia only rose her hand in a friendly gesture and soon Karl could feel a presence with in himself commanding him to cease in his attack and holster his weapon.

Karl looked to see the older Claudia once more, but soon she transformed into her younger form. She still retained the long, Flat iron, raven black hair and the sparkling youthful green eyes. Her figure youthful figure mirrored that of Sally Mcknight, almost leading Karl to think that she was a long lost twin of Thorn or something instead of her Mother. Claudia's youthful eyes mirrored that of her daughter as well, but were firm with age, harden with experience, and a punch of spiritual power that oozed dominance.

"In the flesh... Are you surprised?" She asked him with a man eater grin like Dusk would give him. Karl stuttered, "Yea... I mean... You died... You... Your... Dead... It.. It can't be you..." Claudia gave a little chuckle and took him by the hand. She graced one of her hands across his cheek, "This isn't a dream or a nightmare..." She spoke in a calm whisper, "This is reality and you are the only one who can stop what Amsel is planning... To close the gate once and for all before.. Before..." She began to studded and shake.

"Before what?" Karl asked her.

Claudia gave a look of distress and looked at him with grave eyes, "Before she comes back..."

Karl was confused, "Who is she?" He asked her.

"Ravencroft." A distorted, heavy voice said in a thick southern accent. One of the heavy iron doors covering one of the tombs broke from its hinges and a large decaying corpse crawled out of it. The figure was dressed in a torn and ragged grey coat and uniform, baring the rank of lieutenant on his shoulders. His skull bore only a fraction of his hair and was covered with a grey slouch hat adored with gold piping and sliver crossed rifles pin on the front. The face of the horrid figure was covered entirely with blood stained bandages besides a cut away for his eyes. His eyes weren't normal man's eyes either... Black, Pearl like orbs sat in their place and seemed to cut through Karl's body like a hot knife, staring right into the very depths of his soil.

"Beautiful rifle you have on your back son... But she won't save you from Sarah Ravencroft, Nothing will unless your like Claudia over here." The figure said pointing to claudia who handed him a bottle from a small backpack. The figure rips off his bandages to reveal a gruesome decaying face with black teeth and began to drink the whole bottle in under a second before throwing the bottle against the stone wall. "Zachary, you should know better than to drink. It ruins your health!" Claudia said in a motherly, but nagging tone.

"Zachary Hall? The one from the story!?" Karl asked him in shock before throwing his hands in the air. "Fuck it, I've lost my mind even more. What the hell is going on?!" Karl demanded in confusion. Zachary chuckled as he rapped the bandages around his mangled face.

"I am he you speak off and No, you haven't lost your marbles son. If you did then the barrel of that yankee rifle would be more appealing to you..." Zachary replied, ignoring claudia entirely. "Sarah Ravencroft is known through out the spirt world with infamy after she drug he own decedent to the very pit of hell from where she came, But something has caused a disturbance across the spectral plain that hasn't been seen since my group intervention here in 1862..."

"Why did you come here in the first place Lieutenant?" Karl asked him respectfully. Zachary gave karl a thankful nod for addressing him with rank.

"Long ago during the war, The Vatican contacted the Episcopal Church in the CSA telling them of a grave threat to people of the Lord. The Amsel family was reported to be the cause of this threat and one of the gates to the spirt world was about to be opened on a full moon in the month of August. My Rangers and I took up the cause in the name of the Father, the son, and the holy spirt to keep this gate closed and to destroy it once and for all." Zachary explained till Claudia interrupted him to explain.

"The gate he speaks of is the Obelisk that is foretold of in the legend. These Obelisks were made by the gods so that they may come to the earth once more from the spirt world when the time comes, but were soon destroyed by either they themselves or by the ignorance of man. The Obelisk located here is the last of them and must be destroyed, the portals have only let evil into this world and must be destroyed!" Claudia told him.

"As I was saying, My group and I traveled here under the pretenses that we were doing recognizance for our forces. But in reality we were looking for the Amsel manor. To our surprise, It found us... and so did he... We perished here and our souls have resided here for hundreds of years..." A black tear fell from pearls that were his eyes and down his bandages, "I thought that I had ended this... But no... Only prolonged his goal... Now he has his key to open the door to the spirt world..."

"My girls... Dusk... Luna... Thorn..." Karl whispered as he spoke.

"Their spirits, their voices can open the door. But you can destroy it if it is openned." Claudia told him. "How can I destroy a fucking witch that has more power than anything that I can possibly imagine? How?! I have three bullets and no magic, I'm useless to you!" Karl protested, knowing that this was suicide. Claudia gave a sigh and grabbed him by his collar.

"Because your the only one that can travel between worlds and still retain the purity of mind and soul! How in the hell do you think you can see him or jonathan?! How in the hell do you think you traveled here with out getting kill? Your not the average punk on the street!" She yelled, pushing Karl out of her hands. Her tone changed to a more forgiving and sympathetic tone, "Your strong Karl... Your brave... Your pure of Heart and we all know this... We have waited for your to come to us, to end their suffering."

"Jonathan and Claudia were not sure about your ability to cross between the realms of the spirt and mortal worlds, So Jonathan brought you into our world and then Claudia faked her death to prove you were still human even after your exposure. You followed your better judgement, remained cool under pressure, and still were able to express loving emotions and remorse in face of all the hatred and death. You are the one that can end all of this once and for all." Zachary explained to Karl.

"Your one of the last angels Karl... You know this... Please... Please help us save not only your girls... But all of humanity.." Claudia pleaded.

Loud ear piercing screams filled the air around him, Karl recognized the screams as that of Thorn, Dusk, and Luna. Claudia gripped his hands tightly, "You can bring light to the eternal darkness that hangs over this land. Your the last light of hope in this kingdom of darkness... Help us."

Karl looked at her and his grip tightened as the pain of everything he had seen and done raced though his mind.

"Come on... We have a world to save." He said as he took the rifle off of his back. "I'll rally the men." Zachary said as he snapped his fingers as the tombs openned up with a thunderous roar as the decaying bodies of the forsaken few crawled out of the tombs with weapons in hand.

"Let's get that son of a bitch."

* * *

"How close do you think he is my darling?" Amsel asked his auburn haired companion beside him. The girl gave him a large smile. "He's close... I can feel him drawing near. Should I and the girls begin? The more Muffy screams the more determined he becomes." She replied as she looked over at Dusk and Thorn as they struggled in their chains. "You fucking sellout bitch!" Dusk screamed at her. "Why are you helping that creep Kim!?" Thorn demanded to know. But the woman only closed in on the two and struck each of them with a quick slap across the face. "It's Luna and you both know why... And he is drawing near." Luna gave a wicked smile as she looked toward the opening leading toward the catacombs.

"Begin the ritual, will you now? Benny seems to have not a single ounce of patients since his forceful incarceration by your leader." Amsel told Luna in a sweat sadistic tone.

"Yes Master."


	14. Chapter 13: Last Light

_**After much demand, This chapter will explain a lot of things. Like why Karl calls the Hex girls 'His Girls' and so on. This will also hint at another fanfic I'm planing on writing as well. The pasts of the Hex girls are based off that of a close writing friend of mine named HiddenWitch890, If you love the Hex girls read her fanfics their killer and they are what inspired me to write Dawn and Dusk. Also Check out my friend GrumpyDrawer as well and his fanfic, Badlands Rock Concert. Both are great writers and they two would love to here from you, the views, as well.**_

_**Credit goes to her for the pasts of the **_**_Hex girls :) _**

**_One more chapter and then the epilogue and Dawn will be complete, Please review and a shout out to Ali and Mattie for their reviews *Hint Hint*_**

**_With Love~ Dresner_**

* * *

The Catacombs ended ruffly after the metallic smell of fresh blood began. Large cave like tunnels appeared in place of the man made catacombs and crudely dug access tunnel that Karl became accustom to. The warm swamp water disappeared and only dry hard rock and rust colored clay took its place. Allegiant chandeliers made out of iron and glass replaced the crude torches held by the bones of forsaken men and animals. Heavy boulders clad with christian and pagan symbol of eternity, unity, and death painted in white.

"We're nearing the ritual chamber, I can feel it in my bones." Hall remarked as his ghastly group of ghouls gave a dark chuckle. The rancid smell of rotting flesh was only surpassed by the blood, A smell that Karl learned to ignore. But the stench of decaying flesh was something that no one will ever get use to, even in Karl's position. But what Karl could not ignore was his admiration for the grey coated ghouls. Even though they were cursed to stay in this retched place, they still retained their humanity and their manors.

Some spoke of all the good times they had in their mortality, While others spoke of the hell they endured during their life time. When Claudia would grow tired from walking at least one of them would ask if she wanted one of them to carry her, and when she refused they would always say 'Yes Ma'am' like kind southern gentlemen do. Past the decaying flesh, black peal eyes, and rust covered rifles, Humanity and spirt were not devoid from them. Karl admired these traits and treated each of them with respect.

Claudia was a rather confusing sort for Karl. After all it was she who started this who journey in the first place. He was a little averse to her, yet felt pity toward her. He closed his eyes and soon he could see her ora. She was bright green, A sign that she was of a noble heart and of the mystical persuasion. Karl remembered some of the stories thorn told him when it was just the two of them.

Karl retained a loving relationship with Dusk and regarded her as his one and only love, But Thorn was almost like an older sister to him, even though he was three years her senior. They held a brother sister relationship with each other as long as he could remember, maybe even since they first met but something seemed to linger in the air that there was more than just that. Luna on the other hand was some what hostile toward Karl or at least a little short with him. They was common ground between the two because of their roles as mediators in the band between the high strong diva that was Dusk and their confidant, sometimes arrogant, leader Thorn. Maybe it was the strange fear that she was getting replaced by Karl that made her a little on edge with him or maybe some other unknown reason.

Thorn told him of how she was 1/16th Wiccan on her mother's side of the family, but other than that she knew nothing of her mother. She practiced Wicca at home, but something went wrong and she was sent to a mental institution in Pennsylvania. The same institution she herself was forced to attended by a wicked man by the name of Michael, But she didn't go into anymore detail other than that is how she met Dusk and Luna.

"Claudia," Karl asked her as he put his hand on her shoulder. "Do you mind if we have a moment of privacy. Their are a few question I have to get off my mind before we move on." Claudia gave a sigh and gave an order to the forsaken few to move on toward the chamber. She took him by the hand like a school girl with her crush and let him into the light of one of the chandlers to get a better look at him. "What is it that troubles you, my child?" She asked him with the caring tone of a mother. Karl decided to pick his words carefully as not to offend her, Asking outright about why she left her daughter in the first place is an obvious no.

"I've always had a good relationship with your daughter," He said hesitantly. "A brother sister kind of relationship were we can talk with one other about anything that comes to mind, but one thing that really got to me was when I would ask about you, Her mother, she would simply tell me that..."

"That I was sent off to an asylum after a ritual went bad?" Claudia interjected. She gave a arrogant smile and shook her head, "Ahh Willard McKnight, you were always in the dark about my power. Maybe thats why I loved you, you never asked question about my powers." She whispered as karl looked at her questionably. "I apologize for that digression, I've waited for sometime for someone to bring this burden to pasture. I was hoping for my Sally to ask me..." Claudia wiped a tear off of her cheek as she continued on. She took a long heavy breath and let it out slowly as she began to run down a shorten version of her life story since she checked herself in to providence behavior health hospital those ten years ago.

"From an early age I practiced the ways of my people, even after my sally was born I still upheld the traditions and practices at the behest of my other half pleading to me that I must conform to the ways of our puritan neighbors. But I refused and continued on with my practices until I found myself toying with forces that even I could not fathom. That moment was the first instance I made contact with a descendent of pure evil, Cyrus Amsel... At first I thought that I had came across the local urban legend of Sarah Ravencroft, but I would have been lucky to come across her..." Claudia became troubled with chills running through her body as she remembered her troubled dealings with the paranormal.

"The purpose of the ritual was to contact the spirits of the Wiccan's who imprisoned Sarah in her own spell book all those years ago. So that I could destroy the book and prevent her from returning to this earth once again. For weeks leading up to the ritual, I recalled strange visions that foretold of her return to this earth by the hand of one of her decedents. The spirits were trying to communicate with me in the dream world, but I could not respond to them. I had to know where the book was in order to destroy it, Taking the risk of losing my mind in the dream world I began the ritual... When I came to the dream world I was not met by the spirt of a Wiccan, but the spawn of hell..." Claudia explained as her tone shifted to terror and sorrow.

"He attacked me... Brutalized me mentally and physically..." She rolled up her selves and large cuts dominated her arms. Her stomach looked as if some one dug into her with a large blade and a large aggressive scar cut across her stomach. "I ran out of the house screaming in terror... I bled from my eyes and everywhere till I finally awoke in the local clinic where I was air lifted to a proper hospital for treatment. The doctor's say it was self inflicted, while others say it was an act of pure hate by a lover... I tried to tell them, but they only laughed and soon after I recovered they sent me to a mental hospital, In other words the very asylum that my daughter spoke to you of. In that one month I found myself losing my grip on reality itself, rather than tightening it. The one thing that I learned from that hell hole was that even at your lowest point in life, Two things will keep you warm at the bottom of your life. Love and Hate. I loved my daughter more than anything in this world and I hated everything that the asylum had to offer..." Claudia then reached into her pack and retrieved a sliver flash of english brandy to calm her nerves.

"Taking to the shadows, I escaped with my life and my mind still intact. He-He, The bastards never could comprehend how I left with out them knowing." Claudia laughed with a found, but hateful smile as she remembered her time in Providence. "After my escape, I found that I myself was blessed with power that no other mortal besides my daughter, her friends, and even yourself have. But that will be explained in time my dear..." Claudia began to walk in the direction of the Rangers and motioned for karl to come as well.

"After her kidnapping I searched for what had seemed to be decades until a police report confirmed that Sally was in safe hands of the federal government. I picked up a near by pay phone and sent her and her friends to my husband Willard Mcknight in Oakhaven. I never gave up on her and always watched her from afar to make sure that my daughter and my new adopted daughters were safe." Claudia turned her head away from Karl and began to sob.

"Why didn't you go back to her? To your family?" Karl asked her. "The society will not allow it and that is all I will say on the topic." Claudia said firmly, motioning her hand like a knife through the air. "I still kept my eyes on the girls, even when that Ben Ravencroft fool brought Sarah to this earth once again..." Claudia gave a small smile as she remembered the sight of her daughter imprisoning Sarah in her own spell book.

Karl didn't see what had happened during the Autumn fest, only that it was a hell of a pay check and when he first met Dusk. He thought that Thorn was joking about how she imprisoned a witch in her own spell book. But after his possession, The ghost soldiers, and the demons attempting to rip his heart out changed his whole perspective on everything entirely.

"Sally takes more than just takes off of your good looks, Eh?" Karl said with a smile.

"She has powers, all three of them do. But that is for another time Karl." Claudia replied as overlooked his comment about her looks. She turned to him and offered the flask of brandy to him, "But does not surprise me that they do, After all Sally is her mother's child and a daddy's girl. Dusk and Luna on the other hand are a different story, I remember a couple of girls from my teenage years who I practiced magic with. But I'm not sure." Claudia explained trying to remember, "One thing Karl that I do find odd is your relationship with the Hex girls. Tell me Karl, Why is it that you call them your girls? I thought Dusk was your muse."

Karl gave a sigh and a sleepy smile. His voice grew heavy and so did his cold heart as he remembered why he was trekking through swampland, demons, and catacombs.

"Muffy will always be my muse, there is no question about that. We fit perfectly with one another and I love her dearly. But I can't help but wonder about Sally. After all, If it wasn't for Sally feeling sorry for me in the first place I would have never been offered a place on her stage crew. I am forever in her and muffy's debt for letting me into their little family and I love them dearly for that reason. Dusk will always hold my heart, my hopes, and my dreams. No question asked, But Thorn and Luna are my family as well and they too hold a place in my heart. That is why I call them my girls. I refuse to lose them like so many others in my life." Karl explained with genuine love for the Hex girls.

Claudia nodded and could only gave a smile. Karl was of a kind heart and was genuinely a good man, someone that she wish her daughter would find someday. "You say that out of love and devotion, instead of the usual male posturing. Your a one in a million, you know that?"

* * *

Dusk looked around the chamber one more time as her and her sister Thorn stood shackled to stone wall. The chamber was large with a massive skyline roof that seemed to reach for the surface and into the over welling darkness above with massive stair case made out of stone and iron lead outward toward the catacombs. Large column fire bowls circled the chamber bring light to everyone around them, but the center piece that demanded the most attention. A large obelisk constructed out of human and animal parts stood menacingly in center of the chamber with two large granite columns with brass bowls with large fires climbing out of toward the skyline. Doused in blood, The Obelisk was covered with a canvas that appeared to be made with human flesh and marked with the pagan symbols of Life, Death, and Unity on three sides, while on the forth facing them was a picture of some kind. It was in a small wooden with the picture of a man that the girls all knew... Ben Ravencroft.

She was tired from the journey though the swamp and through the catacombs. Bruises covered her body as well as dried blood from the cuts from her capturers. The green dress she wore so proudly was ruined with her and others blood and torn to tatters, But her cross still hung defiantly around her neck flawlessly. Thorn on the other hand was in some what better condition than her younger sibling, but her mind was lost in a nightmare of shock and anguish as dark corners of her past came to the surface. Even though her slender pale frame was absent from harm, she could feel every cut on Dusk's body and it tore into her soul.

But one thing the two shared was their combined loathing of their sister Luna. Sally could feel her body growing tired and bent her head down to sleep, but soon the violent hand of the pearl eyed Luna take her by the hair and threw her against the wall. "Wake up, Mcknight!" She shouted as she took her forced Sally's face toward hers. Sally jaded expression only foretold her worn and warier condition. Luna could see this and shook her once more till Sally openned her eyes.

"Why Kim?" Sally called to her, begging to know why her loving and calm sister turned into a sadistic monster. Luna gave her the same sadist smile that struck fear into the heart of Sally, the same smile that Michael gave them as he cut her with his blade. "You let him in... You had to replace me didn't you? You knew it all along... You let the snow fell Sally, leaving me out in the cold..." Luna spoke forcefully, as if she was forced to say these things. Sally knew Kim better than this, this wasn't her. Sally looked in her eyes and saw only blinding black pearl eyes that seemed to consume every ounce of purity and crushed it with its darkness.

As she starred in her eyes she soon saw a brief light of the calm and cool eyes full of ease that was Kimberly 'Luna' Moss's trade mark light brown eyes. "I'm sorry Sally... I'm sorry..." The true voice of Luna's soul called to her in a pleading sadness. A tear fell from her eyes as the darkness swallowed the last of the affectionate brown from her eyes. The Darkness returned and threw Thorn's head against the stone wall once more in disgust of its own weakness, turning its attention to Dusk who was smiling at her with look of a mad man. The Darkness inside of Luna grew vexed with the arrogant smile of the drummer. "What is there to be jolly about, dear girl?" She asked in a distorted and perverse voice. Dusk looked at the Darkness that possessed her beloved sister with animosity that seemed to freeze the darkness in place with fear.

Dusk saw nothing in the eyes of the darkness besides contempt and hatred, Two feelings that she knew well. The Darkness saw something different...

Very different...

"Savor your time... It won't be long till he comes to rip your heart out... Savor your time..." Dusk hissed in a whisper to the malevolent spirt.

The wild look in the eye of the drummer, the look of a wounded animal hearing the knock of death on its door, shook the Darkness to its very core and her words undermined its authority over Luna's mind enough for Luna's spirt to break the shackles Darkness enough for her to show herself to dusk. But soon the lavishing figure of Cyrus Amsel began to massage the back of the possessed Luna.

"Come now Luna," Amsel whispered in her ear as the darkness grew stronger in his presents. "You can't fight the darkness. Let the darkness complete you..." Amsel's tone was soft and alluring like the sounds of the sirens song that lead sailors to their doom. But soon his voice became cold and firm as he looked over at his captives, "Sing for me... Sing.. Sing!" He demanded firmly as Luna began the tune, But Dusk refused and spat at the demon in defiance of her captor.

"He's coming for you as well!"

* * *

"Over there! Near the Obelisk." One of the solider pointed out. Hall came forward with a spy glass in hand and began to scan over the chamber. Karl and Claudia followed close to him and shared a pair of binoculars from claudia's backpack. "Where's Jonathan?" Karl asked as Claudia and Hall observed the chamber from the cover of stones over looking the chamber. "I'm right here with you Karl." The voice of Jonathan replied as he appeared next to him. "You think I would miss this moment for the world?" Jonathan asked with a smile.

"Quiet you two," Claudia remarked as she handed the binoculars to Karl. "Look over there at what our friend Amsel is doing to your girls, Karl."

In the distance he could see the finely dressed figure of Cyrus Amsel with top hat and cain standing near the auburn haired figure of Luna. In front of them was Dusk and Thorn chained to the stone behind them like slaves. Amsel's hands were balled into fists as his anger began to boil. Karl could see the Dusk from afar taunting and insulting him. Even through the binoculars he could see the beating she had taken since his absents.

Something brought him to life once more, a feeling, no a living being made of the purest energy that humanity and nature could ever besot... Hate. Losing control of himself he took his rifle off of his back and sighted in on Amsel. The shot was tough, He had to make sure that he did not under or over shoot and his Muffy or Sally, Nor could he miss either and risk killing one of them. As Amsel hand rose to the darkness as the pressure on the trigger grew tighter and tighter. Karl takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, savoring the moment and praying that his aim would be true...

"Insulant Tart!" Amsel shouted as he threw his hand forward to strike Dusk.

The sound of a gun shot echoed through the chamber as the lead bullet of the .44 Henry screamed out of the barrel of Karl's rifle. Amsel had was half way to the battered mug of Dusk before the bullet struck him in elbow, breaking his arm off by the joint and falling to the ground. Blood was replaced by shadows and the screams of pain were replaced by sadistic laughter. Cyrus dropped his cain and quickly appeared in full form in front of the Karl, Claudia, and the Rangers.

The rangers openned up on Amsel unleashing a swarm of lead on him till Karl and Claudia were picked up by the darkness and thrown to toward the wall near the Hex girls. The Rangers were cut to pieces by the shadows that Amsel conjured through his hands. Some escaped through the walls, while other became nothing but piles of bone and rotten flesh. Cyrus laughed and turned his attention to Claudia and Karl. His body was littered with gun shot wounds, but he seemed to heal himself with use of the shadows. But his arm remained severed and only a nub remind on his right arm.

"It seems you found your way karl." Amsel chuckled as he looked down at his next two victims. "Ah Claudia, It's wonderful to see you here in the world of living instead of the abstract." Amsel voice became unnervingly joyful as he walked over to claudia. She grunted and tried to get up, but the fall had knocked the wind out of her and she could feel the pain pulsate through her body like the current from a broken transformer during a hurricane. But he soon stopped himself and shook his head from side to side. "No no no no, I shall not give in to temptation like my relatives would. But..."

Amsel quickly turned around and delivered a shift kick to karl's ribs as he laid on his back.

"Sometimes a man must fill a need..."

Amsel then adjusted his tie and luna soon came to his side with cain in hand. As he gripped the handle of the cain, he turned to Luna who gave him a nod.

"Begin." He told her. Luna smiled as her black pearl eyes twinkled in the light of the torches as she rose her gloved hands into the sky. As her hands reached the sky, she began to sing the song of the siren and a mass of green energy flew from her hands into the darkness. The power stuck her sisters and they began to sing as well.

The melody was so strong that it caused the chamber itself to shake erratically as the green power struck the columns around them turning the amber fire into a ghostly demonic green. The circle of green flame surrounded them and soon Amsel took to the middle of the room where he rose his hands to the sun.

"I call upon the forces of light and darkness, Good and evil, the tangible and the abstract to give me, Cyrus Amsel, The Holder of gate and guardian of darkness, the power to open the gates of spirt world! I bring thou the gift of thirteen souls as you demand and for which I have humbly collected!"

The figures of the twelve ghoulish souls of the soldiers were pulled from the earth and stone around us, taking their places above the column fires but one was left empty. Amsel turned his attention to Karl and placed his hand over him, "Come out Johnny, before I have to bring you out with him." Amsel said in a cold accent.

"Don't call me Johnny!"

Just then Amsel was tackled to the ground and soon found himself fighting with Jonathan with bare fists and haymakers. Claudia staggered to her feet with her arms rapped around her rib cage in pain, "Kill him! It will take him back to the pit of hell for where he came!" She screamed before Amsel kicked jonathan off of him. Cyrus's rage was past the point of no return and removed the handle of cain to reveal a large blade. With one swift thrust he sliced into Jonathan, turning him into a spirt once more.

"NO!" Claudia screamed as Jonathan's spirt took its place above the final column as the green fire soared into the darkness above. The obelisk itself turned the same demonic green and from the top of it beamed down a large vortex like portal to the spirt world.

"Come Ben Ravencroft! Return to this mortal world to cleanse of its ignorance! Let the family rule over these peasants as our gods intended!" Cyrus became mad with power as the door to another world appeared in front of him. Everything was over... The door was open and there was nothing that could be done to stop him...

Claudia didn't give up and neither did Karl... They would never give up... Not to this bastard or anyone for that matter. It was in their blood to fight on, even if everything was hopeless. Now they would need a miracle, but Karl never ran on miracles... Blind faith, Stupidity, and even a little luck was enough for Karl to escape the cataclysms that the world threw at him.

"Stop the song!" Karl shouted to Claudia as he threw himself to his feet, snatching the rifle from the ground one last time.

"Stop luna!" He shouted as he charged Amsel. Claudia acted with out hesitation, tackled the auburn haired vixen to the floor below and knocking her out. The song may have been interrupted, but the door was still open with the sounds of heavy foot steps coming from the portal.

'Put your fear behind you Karl... It's all up to you... You know what must be done...' The voice of Dusk echoed through his mind as he charged behind Amsel. Karl gripped the rifle by the barrel and stock like a fighting stick, delivering a heavy blow to the side of Amsel's skull with butt of the rifle. Amsel stumbled and Karl delivered another quick blow until finally knocking the cain sword out of Amsel hands. But Cyrus recovered and tried to fight back the fury of Karl relentless hate fueled attack... But he failed...

Slowly the two came closer and closer to the portal...

Karl looked to his right and saw the bleak nothingness that was the swirling portal...

To his front was the fear filled eyes of man with no heart or purpose in this world, who scream for mercy when even he himself would not return it...

To his left were the eyes of his muse... The eyes of his everything thing... The eyes of Dusk... He could see the tears in her eyes as he struggled against Amsel... She reached out from her bondage in vain, but they both knew what was going to happen...

In the end he knew his fait... He knew it must come to this...

Closing his eyes Karl grabbed amsel and threw themselves into the vortex...

"KARL!" The Three girls screamed as the portal closed for eternity...


	15. Chapter 14: Redemption

**_My_****_Friends it is now complete…. Dawn Is finished…. I would like to thank you all from the bottom of my Heart for your viewership, Reviews, and Input on the creation of the story. _**

**_Their is more to come in the coming weeks…. _**

**_With Love ~Dresner_**

* * *

The wind whispered to Karl as he laid on his stomach on the delicate smooth meadow-grass. The whisper became a prayer of love... As Karl drifted back into conciseness he saw three sprits standing together in front of him. One clad in a elegant green dress baring the Celtic cross around her neck, One clad in Purple with Ankh cross, and another in red with the Wiccan pentagram. He knew who they were... Why they were here... The prayer said it all.

"On the day when  
the weight deadens  
on your shoulders  
and you stumble,  
may the clay dance  
to balance you.  
And when your eyes  
freeze behind  
the grey window  
and the ghost of loss  
gets in to you,  
may a flock of colours,  
indigo, red, green,  
and azure blue  
come to awaken in you  
a meadow of delight.

When the canvas frays  
in the currach of thought  
and a stain of ocean  
blackens beneath you,  
may there come across the waters  
a path of yellow moonlight  
to bring you safely home.

May the nourishment of the earth be yours,  
may the clarity of light be yours,  
may the fluency of the ocean be yours,  
may the protection of the ancestors be yours.  
And so may a slow  
wind work these words  
of love around you,  
an invisible cloak  
to mind your life."

The triple goddess in all her beauty came in three forms

Anu (Luna), Goddess of sustenance, nurture and abundance.

Danu (Thorn), Goddess of movement, tides and process.

Tailtiu (Dusk), Goddess of vigor, strength and endurance.

Together they are know as the Triple goddess, The Goddess of Origin and Destination...

Tailtiu reached her hand out to him and out him on his feet. Her soft pale hand was conferring to the disoriented karl and he smiled as he saw her. "Dusk... Is... Is that you?" He asked the goddess. She smiled, "Yes and no... She is only a form, a descendent.. As are the ones know as Thorn and Luna." The blonde goddess replied to Karl as he tool a knee and reached for his rifle. Like a knight with his sword, he placed the rifle butt first into the soil with his hands and head touching the weapon. Closing his eyes he bowed his head in respect,

"I am bowing my head  
In the eye of the Mother who gave me birth,  
In the eye of the Maiden who loves me,  
In the eye of the Crone who guides me in wisdom,

In friendship and affection."

But the goddesses rose there hands in tandem, "We know of your devotion and love for us in our mortal form. You do not need to prove to us your loyalty..." Anu told him, as Danu stepped forward.

"Carlous, you took to arms in the name of your ancestors and folk to combat the forces of darkness and discourse." Dane stated, Raising her hands for Karl to rise to his feet. "Leading to this monumental task that lies just in front of you, You shown strength of both mind, body, and soul when all seemed for naut. When you were cast from your Clan you found your way north toward lands of which your ancestors tilled the land in peace and bleed for in times of war."

"For all your struggles you stayed strong and faithful to the gods as well as yourself. Through all your hardships, you reminded true. In the words of your descendent Johannes, 'I would have burn and destroy entire villages if doing so would prevent even one of us from dying of hunger.' You Karl, would sacrifice it all for your brothers, your Clan, and even Dusk if it meant that they would be safe." Anu replied.

"I wish to stay alive, Even if it means that I will continue the struggle somewhere else." Karl spoke as he cradled the rifle in his hands.

"Their is no assurance of safety in the coming battle between you and Ravencroft will be not that of Sword, Shield, and Gunpowder..." Tailtu explained as she drew close to him. "It will be a battle of will... A battle of the soul... There is will you will choose your path."

She took one of Karl's hands and placed something in his palm. "These were given to Jonathan before his passing to the afterlife. They are what you need to defeat Ravencroft..."

"Good luck Carlous..."

The Goddesses placed their hands on karl's chest, giving him their blessing as a large bright light consumed him.

* * *

"Ahhhugh... What the hell happened?" Karl asked himself as he awoke to the light wind of a summers breeze across his back. As he openned his eyes he could see the lush green of smooth meadow-grass and could feel it tickling his cheek. He picked himself up and looked around him to see that he was laying in a large meadow under the cover of a large oak tree. Around him he could see his insignificance in the awe striking valley around him. The rugged mountains from afar were topped snowy peaks and seemed to gaze down at the beauty and ease of the meadow with eyes of might eagle watching over its hatchlings. From there snow covered peaks was a large forest of thick green pine trees stood at attention like soldiers, standing tall and proud in front of the purple mountains.

Then their was Karl, The oak tree, and the Meadow. Between them were large rolling green fields of a lush green. Karl took a deep breath and could feel cold winters air instead of the smooth warm air of summer. Rubbing his eyes, he walked from under the shade of the old oak tree into the sun light.

"Sun light..." Karl grunted as the light touched his skin. It was warm and inviting to him, but the unusually cold air kept his attention. "It's been awhile since I've seen the sun. Ahhugh, Damn bright... Wish I had my cap or a pair of sunglasses."

Karl observed the beauty around him with nostalgic awe as he took another deep breath to savor the purity of the air. The land around him reminded him of Utah and Colorado with the large snow cover purple mountains, The meadows of England, The green fields of France, and beauty of europe all rolled into one. Karl took a few more steps into sun and turned to face the Oak tree.

The oak tree seemed to grace the heavens above with its strong and hearty branches full of bright leaves of Mantis and Amber. Its branches seemed to touch all corners of the earth with its length. The mass of the tree was jaw dropping measuring at least the size of a lorry or two from what Karl could see. But something drew his attention back under the oak tree...

A crate of some kind laid under the cover of a olive green blanket covered in yellow pollen from fauna dancing in the wind. Karl reached for the blanket and under it was the Henry rifle he commandeered from the Doppelgänger at the manor laying on top of a old walnut chest.

The rifle appeared to be fresh off of the assembly line with blued receiver and barrel, Polished walnut stock, and Baldwin long range sights. Karl took the rifle in his hands and began to toy with it with the joy of a child a christmas time. The smell of fresh oil brought joy to his soul as he worked the action of the rifle, placing it against his shoulder to look down the sights for a complete view of the rifle.

"Damn, No bullets." He said to himself as he turned to the chest with wonder in his eyes. The chest appeared to be pre-1800's judging by the wood and build of the chest itself. The decor and padlock was distinctly english in design. But unlike the Henry, The chest was old, rusty, and covered in mud and moss as if it was pulled from the belly of the swamp. Karl held the lock in his hand and shook it a couple of times before the decaying metal gave in and broke off the chest.

Opening the chest, Karl was blinded briefly by a bright light and soon he found himself looking at a old faded confederate flag nailed to the inside of the lid of the chest. But what was inside is what attracted karl, Inside was a black winter field cap with two sliver buttons holding its flaps to the cap and a pair of leather officers jackboots. Along with satchel bag and a celtic cross for protection of the soul.

"Hmmm everything but ammunition... Great." He remarked before packing the satchel bag with supplies. "What is that..." karl said as another box appeared from under the bag. The box was made out of the same oak wood as the chest, with a more modest and well kept appearance, with the coat of arms of the CSA engraved on the top of the case.

Engraved in sliver under the coat of arms was the name of the spirt who brought him to the manor, and tried to save him.. Karl read off the box in surprise.

"Corporal Jonathan Joseph Dael, 4th Alabama."

Karl took the case out of the chest and placed it on the ground in front of him. 'Is this what the triple goddess was talking about?' Karl thought to himself as he looked for away to open the case. 'What did she give me?' He asked himself as he started to check his pockets and the sound of jingling coming from his back pocket. Reaching into his back pocket, He found a keyring with two keys on it. One was small and Karl assumed that this was the key to case, but the larger iron key was questionable to him. Using the smaller key to unlock the case, Karl found a leather ammunition belt with sliver cased .44 henry rifle rounds. Each of the cases of the bullets were marked with three symbols.

The Christian cross, The Celtic Cross Bar, and the Wiccan Pentagram.

"Point forty four henry. Casings and bullets were made of the holiest of slivers the Vatican could muster." A male voice told him, "Blessed with holy water from the pope himself as well as his high priests, Celtic priests and druids, and by fifteen Wiccan covens from all across north america and europe."

Karl turned around to see the youthful figure of Jonathan standing behind in a full and clean grey uniform with a dark brown slouch hat. "Jonathan! I thought cyrus sacrificed you to that monstrosity in the chamber!" Karl shout in surprise as he got off of his knees and greeted his ancestor most warmly. Jonathan laughed and shook his head.

"He-He, I was. But those boots of over there," Jonathan pointed out to the boots near the chest. "They are what kept my soul from fires of hell. Every Relic of a dead man contains a bit of his heart and soul. Why do you think the portal didn't rip you to pieces?" He chuckled as he put on his boots for the first time in over 200 years. "Nice job breaking them in Karl, But son couldn't have you thrown in a flower or two to kill the smell! Your feet reek! Ooohweee! Forget the blessed bullets my friend, Take your boots off and the demons be running away like dogs with their tails between their legs!" Jonathan joked as the two shared a laugh together.

"Good to have you back, my friend." Karl said thankful that Jonathan was still alive. "Likewise, but this is not over. Your journey is almost over Karl. Look to the East and there is where it will all end." Jonathan pointed behind the tree and soon Karl could see endless Darkness as far as the eye could see. The land under the darkness was ghostly white, as if the hand of General winter himself was strangling the life out of the land itself.

"Ravencroft is there... Follow the path out of The Summerland... Toward the dark heart of the land of the Black Sun... There is where you and Ravencroft will choose..."

"Choose what Jonathan?" Karl asked him

"You'll see Carlous... You'll see." Jonathan said before walking back into the light of the sun.

"Jonathan! Aren't you going to accompany me on the journey?" Karl asked him cooly. But Jonathan shook his head,

"No Karl, This is your journey... Find Ravencroft and make your choice..."

A bright light consumed Jonathan, blinding Karl once more. Once he gained his vision once more he found himself alone with only the sounds of the summer breeze to keep him company. Rapping the belt around his waste he loaded the henry with the sliver shells. He took another look at the darkness to the east. As he placed the last shell in the tube, He loaded a shell into the rifle and threw the rifle on his back.

With the cross around his neck, rifle on his back, and boots on his feet he took down a small dirt path toward the darkness. Looking to the sky above he could see the brightness of the yellow sun to the west, but to the east was a dark orb hanging in the sky over the whiteness of the east.

"Walking headlong into gates of hell... Wonderful..."

* * *

Hours Later...

Down the beaten path into the breech once more. Through the snow covered woodlands, across the fields of ice, and on to the majesty of the once proud purple mountains now blanketed by shadows and darkness. The Black sun descended below mountain range as darkness consumed everything around him, leaving only the light of a blue moon to light Karl's way as he scaled the mountains.

The howling winds screamed in his frozen ears as he clung to the face of the mountain with only his bare hands holding himself from the clutches of death just below. A fall measuring the hight of well over a 47 story building was weighting behind every pebble for Karl as his hands began to bleed painfully as he pulled himself up the jagged face of the mountain. Climbing for at least a couple of hours took a tole on Karl. The comfort of a warm bed was temping and Karl could feel his eyes grow heavy as the thought of laying on a cloud.

Laying with Dusk in his arms once more...

Karl shook his head quickly as a gust of Arctic air cut across his face. He grew determined to make his dream come true and climbed harder and faster with every gust of the punishing wind. Karl pulled himself up one more time and found himself on a cliff over looking the darkness around him. Taking back to his feet, He soldiered on down a goat trail. The purple mountains seemed to gleam in the blue moon light, illuminating the goat trail in front of him. The Clear skies above him gave a sense of ease as he knew there would be no more snow. The legs of his jeans were frozen, his hands were stained with his own blood, his hair was greasy and unwashed just like himself.

Karl was hungry, the groans of his stomach told him so. As did the dryness of his throat from nothing to drink. He was near the breaking point from his long journey and hoped that as he rounded the mountain to find a cave to take refuge from the harsh wind.

The mountains seemed to split from one another as a large emerald river appeared before him. The sound of rushing water echoed around through the mountains as the goat trail ended at a stone road. The road itself lead to a large stone arch bridge that span the width of the Rhine river in Germany. The bridge was distinctly germanic in its architecture, but english in its cobblestone road bed.

Beyond the archway bridge was a crater lake that seemed to span for eternity and in the mitts of this lake was a large mountain isle, crowned with a large germanic castle that mirrored that of Neuschwanstein Castle in southwest bavaria.

Reaching into his pocket, karl retrieved the key ring and glared at the large iron key.

"I hope this works." He said to himself as he took down the stone path to the Castle, His boots clicking against the cobblestone.

* * *

Ben Ravencroft stood atop the balcony over looking the bridge that lead to his castle. He watched with a smile as Karl crossed over to his isle. "The Goddess doesn't know the whole story, and neither does he." He said to himself as he buttoned up his long black trench coat. Ben returned to the warmth of his great dinning hall where the ragged and beaten figure of Cyrus Amsel gorging himself with a bowl of fresh stew that Ben prepared for him.

"Benny..." Amsel said to Ben as he finished off his third bowl of stew. "This stew... This stew has to be some of the finest stew I have had in decades!"

Ben gave him a wiry smile and turned to close the large sliding door from the cold wind. "I'm glad you enjoy my cooking, The recipe was given to me by a cook by the name of Jack." Ben told him as he took a seat at the head of the large long table. "A rather large set man with a love of his famous apple cinnamon pie..."

As nostalgia began to take Ravencroft back to a time before the Autumn fest...

Back when everything was normal...

Back when he was the hometown celebrity...

Back when he was loved...

A small sigh came from the dark and imposing figure as he relaxed in his chair as the nostalgia of the past swept his person. Amsel chuckled, "Are you going soft on me, benny?" He asked rudely.

"I would watch your tone with me Cyrus," Ben told him firmly as his demeanor changed once more.

"If I remember correctly, you failed to fulfill your side of our agreement."

Amsel froze in his chair and pushed the empty bowl to the side. He began to twiddle his thumbs, contemplating his exit move as he felt the noose of failure tightening around his neck.

* * *

Karl stood before the large oak door in astonishment at its size, But soon reached into his pocket to retrieve the heavy iron key. He starred at the key and soon smiled, realizing its true name. "Of course! It's a skeleton key! It goes to everything!" He said with optimism as he stuck the key into the key hole. The sound of a hundreds of gears thundered behind the door and soon the great door openned before him reveling a grand stair case leading into the castle.

Ascending up the great stair case, Karl found himself in the keep of the castle where large suits of armor stood at attention against the walls and beautiful works of art hung proudly. The Castle brought out the enriched and cultural side of Karl and he began to ooh and awe at the splendor of the paintings, The craftsmanship of mounted swords, and the detail of the Gold and Raven black banners that hung on the walls.

But soon the sound of a struggle and screams returned Karl to the harsh reality before him. Taking the Henry in his hands he changed through the keep and followed the screams to the entrance of the great hall. Karl gripped the wall and tightly rapped his hands tighter and tighter around his rifle as the scream became louder and louder...

The screaming cease abruptly... And the door slowly creaked open until the whole of the great dinning hall came into full view. "Come on." A voice called to him from the other side of the wall. "Come Karl, Come join me by the window." The voice was calm and father like in tone.

Karl around the corner with rifle in hand and to his surprise he saw a large figure clad in black trench coat standing near a large window with his hands behind his back. The figure turned to face karl and made his way to a global. "I'm glad you were able to traverse the terrain with out a mishap or two. How was your journey Karl?" He asked karl as the figure openned the globe to revile a mini bar hidden inside of it.

"Care for a drink, Journeyman?" He asked Karl as he poured a scotch and water for himself. Karl tighten his grip around his henry once more, but soon gave into his upbringing of being a southern gentleman and the first rule was never turn down a free drink. Giving a sigh Karl responded indifferently, "Gladly."

The figure poured another glass of scotch and water for Karl and kindly brought it to him. "I believe we are all gentlemen here in this room. Can we not enjoy a simple drink with out the company of a weapon?" The figure asked kindly as he pointed at the rifle in Karl's hands.

Karl shrugged and looked at the figure questionably. "Who are you, Sir?" Karl asked the black coated figure. The figure gave a grin and placed the glasses of scotch on the large wooden table next to them. "I believe you know who I am." The figure assumed.

"Indeed I do," Karl said as he placed the rifle on the table. "Your Ben Ravencroft. I could spot your trade mark Go-T and pony tail from a mile away. I've always enjoyed your work as a writer, A shame that your critiques never gave you the credit that you deserved." Karl let out his hand to shake Ravencroft's hand. Ben was caught a little off guard by the response he received from Karl, but soon reached out and shook the blooded hand of Karl. "It has been eons since someone has said such kind words about my work. I'm flattered, But the world of a writer is always going to have those who would rather their own boast ego with the dismay and frustration of those who deserve a chance at the spotlight. Thank you." Ben shook Karl's hand with both his hands gratefully.

Karl looked into the eyes of the man that was Ben Ravencroft. What he saw something rather strange...

Karl expected the personification of evil, but what he saw was the soul of a man who seemed lost and full of regret. A man that was not truly evil, or evil in general, but housed a soul that was corrupted by some kind of power.

"No, Thank you Ben. I believe you know why I am here." Karl told him as he reached for the glass of scotch and water on the table. "But first let us have a drink like gentlemen." Ben to his glass in hand turned for the window. "Come, I want to enjoy my finally moments in this world one more time before my departure." Ben said with a tired, yet thankful smile the two gentlemen took to the door. "Please take my other coat, your attired is not suited for the cold in the mountains. Your lucky to have not caught hypothermia or even a simple cold!" Ben told him as he handed Karl a black trench coat with sliver buttons. Karl chuckled and dawned the warm coat as the two walked out to the balcony were the beauty of the blue moon illuminated everything around them.

"Beautiful, wouldn't you agree Karl?" Ben remarked as the moon light reflected off of the emerald waters of the lake. "I couldn't agree more Mr. Ravencroft." Karl agreed as he took a sip of his scotch and water, The booze warmed his body and brought him at ease. "If you don't mind me asking Mr. Ravencroft, I want to know why you haven't slaughtered me like cattle."

"Elementary Karl." Ben remarked as he himself took a drink of his scotch and water. "The truth of the mater is that I myself am not an evil man, only a man who will do anything to accomplish his goal. I am a man driven by one dominating obsession..." Ben turned toward the mountain side and took another sip from his glass.

"And it was that obsession that drove me to the point of insanity that drove me to summon a being of pure evil... It was Obsession that drove me to end her life once and for all..." Karl could hear the tone in his voice shift from calm to intense in an instant. "I took her power from her and intended to use it against the world to punish those that refuse to recognize my existence." Ben clenched his fist in anger as small bolts of electric energy danced between his knuckles. But soon he gave a sigh and finished off his drink.

"But I soon found a home here in the mountains of the realm of the black sun. I rule over this land with out question... But I digress, Karl Dael. The reason why I haven't eliminated you is simple, You are not my enemy."

"Your right, Your not my enemy." Karl agreed before finishing off the reminder of his scotch and water.

"Cyrus... Where is he?" Karl asked Ben coldly.

Ben smirked and pointed to the other side of the dining table inside the castle. Their laid the lifeless emaciated corpse of Cyrus Amsel laying in a pool of blood.

"I never wanted to bring Sarah back into the world of the living, nor did I want to betray the five kids who helped locate her book in the first place. This power... This awful wicked power... It corrupted my soul and turned me into a beast that shouldn't even be referred to as human, let alone the name of a man... He was the cause of it all... I was his puppet till the very end..."

Karl drew into the great hall and observed the body of Amsel closely. Amsel's neck was lacerated with cuts crossing over all sides of his neck, as if someone tried their damnedest to decapitate the him. Bruises dominated his facial features as well as the signs of a shattered jaw and nose. Arms were broken, as well as the legs and ribs as pieces of his rib cage pierced through his coat. The beating was savage as if an animal mauled Cyrus to death with its teeth and claws, but there were signs that this was beating was caused by man, a man of intense hatred for him.

Karl turned to Ben Ravencroft and looking into his eyes once again as they both stared at the lifeless shell of a man that Amsel became. Ben eyes were full of hate as he starred down at the corpse. Karl gave an nod of approval at Ben, "Now what do we do?" Karl asked. Ben turned his head to gaze at the rifle laying on the table. "You have a choice to make. Either end my existence or option B." Karl looked at Ben and then to the Rifle.

"Why should I even spare you a moment of my time once more?"

"You have friends... Families... Love ones. We both do, But it seems our predicament isn't that favorable. Wouldn't you agree?" Ben explained as Karl listened on to his words.

"Your a man of purpose, A man who is in it for the long march. A cart horse for lack of a better term. While I am a man of great obsession of achieving my goals, one of the reasons why I could write so many stories in such little time. Together we share common ground a seekers of truth..."

"Truth?! I've heard the stories of how you betrayed those kids and their dog into helping you release Sarah from her own hell and sic'em on the good people of Oakhaven. Why should I trust someone like you?" Karl barked as he closed in on Ravencroft, His fists clenched tightly as if he was ready to strike. "Amsel was in control that day, he was the one who released her upon the towns people! I stripped her of her own power and ended her rain of terror on the people of black sun. On the astral plain I finished her..." Ben told him as he rose his fist to their faces. Green energy encompassed his fist, but soon powered down and put his arm against his side once again.

"With her power and the power of the shadows he gave to me... I sent his mind and what remained of his soul to depth of oblivion." Ben reached into his coat and pulled out a little black address book. He openned to the middle of the book where a green orb appeared from its pages. Inside the orb were the souls of the kids and their dog.

"What the hell..."

Their souls pounded against the sides of ora in panic, scream to be released from their prison.

"Amsel may have murdered them in cold blood, but being the lonely man that he is, well was in this matter. He would collect the souls of those that he deemed 'worthy' of his company as to keep his mind stable. Loneliness can drive a man into the arms of insanity..." Ravencroft explained as he took the ora that contained the souls of in his hand. "Loneliness and the power of black magic are a marriage made in hell. Combined with his role as a gate keeper..."

"Gate keeper..." Karl said as he placed his glass on the table next to walnut stock of the henry. "The obelisk was the gate to the spirt world, I'm not among the dead am I Ben?"

Ben shook his head, "No your not among the lost and damned. You are still alive, Thankfully. Yes and No on the question of the Obelisk. That particular gate was the last in this universe." Ben remarked. "There were more of those monstrosities in the mortal world?" Karl him.

"Indeed. Six in the western hemisphere, Five in the eastern hemisphere, and two on the poles of the earth. The five in the east were destroyed during the great wars of the early to mid 20th century. The German Ahnenerbe destroyed two of them that were located in europe as well as the Antarctic obelisk, Their documents foretold of a world that man was not fit to walk upon until the finally triumph of humanity against the demonic forces of evil. The Vatican dismantled their gate to other side during the 16th century as well as the remaining two located in the far east. That was one of the reasons for british expansion into the far east in the beginning besides trade and spice, To destroy the gate for the Vatican. The North American and Northern poles were destroyed by various Catholic, Protestant, Wiccan, and Celtic organizations in order to seal off the spirt world from ours from the threat of cosmic invasion by the Darkness of evil." Ben explained.

"The spirt world is no place for mortals. It takes responsible men and women to stand guard at the gates to make sure nothing is let in or out of the spirt world, For if they do their will be grave consequences... As foretold by the Gods themselves many millennia ago. Luckily, You and Claudia Marlin interrupted the song before the door could be fully openned."

"He openned the door for you to escape, didn't he?" Karl interjected. Ben gave a chuckle, "Karl, my boy, even if the door is fully openned I couldn't have waltz out of realm of the Black Sun with out the help of a journeyman. How do you think I escaped the hell that was Sarah's spell book?"

"Journeyman?" Karl asked Ben as he fiddled around with the ora of souls.

"A mortal or immortal with the ability to travel between the vast number of dimensions. In other words, A hitchhiker of worlds." Ben continued on. "A journeyman is selected by his heart and head. If he is of a just heart and a clear head, The gods give him a test of power. Your test was simple, and you passed with flying colors." Ben turned to him and smiled. "You gave your life for a noble cause and you lead Amsel into my hands."

"So what? I earned a fancy title. I also killed people, abandon my loved one because of possession, got those five killed, and now I'm stuck here in a fucking castle trapped in the spirt world. Just fucking peachy!" Karl blurted out in rage as he threw on of the many chairs out of his way. Ben looked at Karl with pity and placed the souls of the gang on to the table next to the rifle.

"Not trapped karl," Ben interjected as karl slung another chair across the room. "There is another portal to our world." Karl turned and looked at him strangely but soon caught wind of his offer. "So that's option B, Eh? We travel to portal together? Fat chance Ravencroft. If you can turn on them, Sarah, and Amsel at the snap of a finger. What makes me think you won't do the same?" Karl threw his hand on the Henry rifle as Ben grew annoyed with his ignorance to his offer. But Ben took a deep breath and let it out slowly before grabbing the orb in is palm.

"Because of this..."

Ben closed his eyes and the ora disintegrated into dust before him. Before Karl could react, Ben twirled his index finger around in a circle causing a portal to form in front of them. This portal viewed directly into the world of humanity...

"We can only see into our world, but not crossover. We need a different portal of the same variety as the Obelisk." Ben told him, But Karl ignored him as he watched what unfolded in front of him. Through the portal Karl watched in suspense as the Hex girls and Claudia escaped from the crumbling ruins of the underground and until finally greeted by fully restored and unmarked Mystery Inc. His heart lifted as the party of nine escaped the manor in one piece, but the portal closed before him...

"She's... She's safe... Thank the heavens..." Karl became melancholy and sat down in one of the chairs. He burred his face in his hands and drifted off into a cocktail of sadness and relief. Karl looked up at Ben with red, teary, and blood shot eyes. "I'll never see her again..." He sobbed as he wallowed in his own pity until he remembered the ring on his finger.

Pulling the ring off of his finger he examined it with tear eyes as he admired its beauty. Looking to the inside band of the ring, karl found His and Dusk's names engraved with in it. The pain of his body was only surpassed by that of his soul as the memories of Dusk flashed before his eyes. The pain became greater as he clenched the ring tightly in his wounded hand, leaving the indention of a celtic cross on his palm.

"Where is the other portal?" Karl spoke quietly as he regained his composure and became hard and determined. Ben smiled as Karl's energy began to muster. "There is gate in the dungeon that will take us to the next dimension in the line of universes. There we will meet with two contacts I made on my journey through their universe. Together we travel to the portal to our universe." Ben explained to Karl as his head looked up from his pit of pity.

"How long will it take?" Karl asked Ben as he rose from his chair with high hopes of returning home. "That I do not have the slightest clue of, But what I do know is that it will be a challenge..."

"Like I said to the Goddess, I wish to stay alive even if it means that I will continue the struggle somewhere else. The difficulty will be eminence, I'm assured of this. I've always been assured of struggle and this is just another obstacle that I, or should I say we, will over come." Karl let out his hand to Ben. Ben stood awkwardly as he began to run down his options, But as he contemplated stabbing Karl in the back. He felt the darkness of his two ancestors weaken their grip upon him and with the simple shaking of Karl's hand broke their evil hold on him.

Karl's voice spoke with a message of solidarity to Ben in the form of one word.

"Comrade."

"Comrades." Ben said as he took Karl's hand and shook it firmly.

"Come on, Their is no time to waste! For warned, the dimension we about to embark to is known for its lawlessness and chaos." Ben warned Karl as he slung his rifle on his back and fixed his black panzer cap at a jaunty angle.

"Just wait till I get there..."


	16. Epilogue: Turn the Page

Dusk cradled her sister Thorn in her arms as she watched as Amsel Manor burned in green flame. The horror was over... Finally over. She looked over at Claudia as she began to pray for Luna who laid in her arms as well. Look on to her Judas iscariot of a sister as the odd woman placed her hand over Luna's face and seemed to pull the darkness from her mind like masseuse removing hot wax at a spa. The Darkness laid on Claudia's palm like a frighten cockroach until she crushed it in her hand. The Darkness that robbed Luna of her mind was gone for good as the warm hazel eyes of the calmer sister of trio awoke with a groan.

"What... Damn it... Ahhugh what happen?" She grunted innocently. "Did... Did we find him? Did we find karl?" She asked in a daze as she looked at the battered and beaten Dusk and the lost thorn laying in her arms. Dusk shook her head from side to side as her remaining make up began to run from her tears.

"No..." She sobbed in a light whisper. "He... He gave..."

"He gave his life for us..." Thorn interjected as she two regained conciseness from her lost state.

Claudia said nothing and helped each of the girls to their feet, Once again she knew more than met the eyes of the Hex girls. She took great care in bringing Thorn to her feet, "Are you alright sweetie?" She asked her Daughter in the sweetest of voices. Thorn's green eyes sparked in the moon light as she looked into claudia's eyes, "Yeah... Just..."

"Is everyone alright?" Daphne interjected as the gang came to the aid of the Hex girls and Claudia. They all appeared to be just as ragged and beaten as the girls themselves, but forgot everything besides coming to the manor and leaving. Lucky for them...

The girls remember everything, besides Luna of course.

"They are alright, mostly bruised and beaten, but they can make it back to their bus. How about y'all? No broken bones or demonic possessions?" Claudia stone walled the red head with cheery sarcasm. Daphne was dumbfounded and shook her head before walking back to fred's side. The light of the burning manor and of the full moon guided them down the red clay road back to toward the camp site. As they traveled down the road they began to hear the sound of the swamp once again and even saw a swamp deer or two as they made their way home.

The gang took the lead, but, unlike before, Claudia and the Hex girls brought up the rear of the party.

Thorn, Dusk, and Luna walked together side by side with Dusk helping hold her sisters to keep their balance. The conservative celtic drummer looked to her sister and saw that something had changed with in each of them...

Luna seemed blue, like her positive energy had been drained from her. Yet still retained her calm and easy exterior. Thorn seemed to have harden and became more like she herself was, but still retained her kindness with in her eyes. "Amsel has left his mark on each of you..." Claudia remarked as she took up Thorn's side to take the weight off of the already worn out and weakened Dusk. Dusk only smiled and soldiered on with her sisters. "He left his mark on myself years ago... It... It lead me to adopt a stark, yet helpful motto... Live to forget." Claudia remarked as she took more of Thorn's weight off of Dusk's shoulders and threw her on her back. "But you, Muffy St. James, will not adopt that line of thought and I know you won't. Because you and I know something that everyone else doesn't."

"What the fuck are you talking about? What do I know?" Dusk barked at the sly smiling claudia.

"Karl is still alive." She told Dusk, but Dusk rejected her outright. "Bullshit! I saw him throw himself into the fucking portal thing along with that bastard Cyrus! How can he still be alive?!"

Claudia simply pointed to the woods and motioned for Dusk to go. Dusk was about to unleash a firestorm of insults against the smirking gypsy woman, but soon her black heart melted to revile an innocent girl once more. Dusk nodded slowly and let Claudia take Luna from her back as she walked to the mouth of the Deer trail.

There standing in a black coat with sliver buttons and a cap to match stood in the center of the trail with a rifle on his back. Her hopes had came true and soon Dusk was overwhelmed by glee and jubilation as a waterfall of joy filled tears washed away the last of her make up. She rapped her pale, blood stained, and bruised arms around him once more.

"I'm coming home Muffy... I'm coming home..." Karl whispered to her in her ear.

"I know you are... I know you are..." she whispered back to him as he began to back away from her.

"I will always be with you... No mater what. Live for both of us Muffy... Life for us... I love you." He said as his figure began to turn to dust as a light breeze blew him away with the wind.

"I will Karl Dael... I will..." She whispered as she gazed upon his smile one last time.

"I love you Karl Dael..."

_**To be to continued...**_

* * *

_**There is more to come my friends, PM for a Clue or even review for a hint. **_

_**With Love ~Dresner**_


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